The Washington Wizards meet the Brooklyn Nets for their last game before the All-Star break. Both teams have been slumping as of late, but Brooklyn has their eyes set on the title while the Wizards have their eyes set on next season. When 2 teams headed in opposite directions square off, which team is the right NBA pick? Below, we’ll take a look at the NBA odds.
Washington Wizards vs. Brooklyn Nets
Thursday, February 17, 2022 – 7:30 PM EST at Barclays Center
Washington Wizards
The season-ending injury to Bradley Beal effectively ended the Wizards playoff hopes. Once the weaker conference, the Eastern Conference now boasts more depth and it is harder than ever to get to the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. This is evident to the Washington Wizards as they attempt to continue on without their best player for the remainder of the season.
The Wizards made an offseason move that most, including myself, thought would be successful when they added Spencer Dinwiddie in the backcourt to replace Bradley Beal. Unfortunately, Dinwiddie was not a personality fit and seemed to clash with teammates and coaches.
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Realizing that the Dinwiddie acquisition was not working, they shipped off Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans to Dallas for Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis is an excellent basketball player who struggles to stay healthy. When Porzingis is in the game, he puts up strong numbers but unfortunately, he spends as many games on the sideline as he does playing.
Porzingis once again will not be in the lineup tonight so the Wizards will turn to Kyle Kuzma to lead them. Kuzma is averaging 16 points and 8 rebounds per game. He has definitely been the leader for the Wizards and has taken advantage of the opportunity presented to him with Bradley Beal out of the lineup.
Win or lose, you can expect Kyle Kuzma to have a big night when the Wizards take the floor. The multiple injuries to the Wizards have also opened the door for Corey Kispert. Kispert struggled to get off the bench to start the season but he has averaged 33 minutes per game in the last 3 games.
Kispert is an excellent player and has averaged 12 points per game over the last 3 games. The Wizards have switched to developmental mode and Corey Kispert is one of the beneficiaries of the shift in philosophy for the team for the rest of the season.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets were the talk of the trade deadline when they shipped James Harden to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond. Unfortunately for the Nets this evening, Ben Simmons will not be available until after the All-Star break. Since the game is at home, they will not have the services of their star player Kyrie Irving either.
The Nets snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night. They followed that up with a 5 point win against the Knicks. Andre Drummond and Seth Curry played well in their Nets debut and they should both have big roles on the team tonight. The Nets hope this change of direction can get everybody focused on making a championship run this season.
With Kyrie Irving out of the lineup tonight, Patty Mills and Cam Thomas will be important pieces for the Nets backcourt. Patty Mills is a veteran player who averages 13 points and 3 assists per game. Cam Thomas has an excellent scorer who has improved as the season continues.
Thomas is currently averaging 9 points per game but we can expect him to do a lot more with the absences in the lineup this evening. The Nets have a nice mix of veteran leadership with Patty Mills and youthful athleticism with Cam Thomas in the backcourt tonight.
Key Matchup
Kessler Edwards vs. Kyle Kuzma
Kyle Kuzma has been excellent for the Wizards this season, taking advantage of his opportunity with the multiple players in and out of the lineup. In order to stop the Wizards, you need to stop Kuzma from having a big night.
That assignment will fall on the Nets' Kessler Edwards. Edwards is an excellent young player who has also taken advantage of his opportunity in the lineup. Edwards is a rookie out of Pepperdine but he is a very good defender for a rookie.
He will definitely face a tough task tonight against Kyle Kuzma. If Edwards is able to slow down Kyle Kuzma, the Washington Wizards will probably not have enough punch in their offense to keep up with the Brooklyn Nets. If Kuzma is able to show Kessler that he still isn't yet ready to cover an accomplished veteran like Kuzma, the Washington Wizards have a great chance to get the win.
Best Bet
I like the Wizards to make a statement here tonight. Although they don’t have much to play for, they should be able to take advantage of a shorthanded Nets team playing on a back to back. I think Washington will be able to show that they can compete with this depleted team. Tonight’s play of the day, for our best bets, is the Washington Wizards +4 (-105).
NBA Pick: Wizards +4 (-105) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
