John Wall was magnificent in the opener and Washington will be the favorites once again as he aims to help the Wizards take control. The Hawks’ defense fell off in the final two quarters and that must be figured out if they have the chance to pull this upset.
This is a critical game, because a 2-0 lead for Washington would make it tough for the Hawks to overcome in this first round matchup.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, April 19, 2017, at 4 p.m. ET at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The game will be televised live on NBA TV.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Wednesday schedule.
NBA Odds
The Wizards are listed as 5.5-point favorites in this matchup. They covered the spread in the first games between these teams and will aim to do so again. The scoring total is set at 211 points after the first game easily went “over” the projected of 209.5. The Hawks are listed at +195 on the moneyline, while the Wizards are the -235 favorites.
Washington is 50-33 straight up and 43-39-1 against the spread. The Wizards have covered in 24 of 46 attempts at home on the year. They are 26-22-1 against the spread as the favorite.
The Hawks are 43-40 straight up and 37-46 against the spread. Atlanta has covered in 22 of 42 road games on the season. The Hawks are 18-12 against the spread as the underdog despite failing to cover in Game 1.
Last Time Out
Wall set a career playoff high with 32 points and he added 14 assists to lead the Wizards to a 114-107 victory. Washington was behind by three points at the half but scored 68 points over the final two quarters to take control.
All five Wizards starters scored in double figures, as Bradley Beal added 22 points and Markieff Morris had 21. Atlanta hung around for much of the contest but couldn’t make a legitimate run down the stretch.
Dennis Schroder led the way for the Hawks, scoring 25 points and adding nine assists, but it was the team defense of Atlanta that was the problem. The Hawks will look to solve that issue in the second game of this series.
Matchup to Watch
Wall vs. Schroder -- The two point guards were great in the first game, and if either one slips up in the second it could make a big difference. Wall is the more established player, as he is a multi-time All-Star and one of the best point guards in the game.
However, Schroder has really come on strong this year and averaged 17.9 points and 6.3 assists per game during the regular season. If Schroder can come close to equalling Wall’s output in Game 2, like he did in Game 1, he will give his team a chance to win.
However, it is up to the rest of the Hawks to pick up the slack if Schroder can do that.
Free NBA ATS Pick
It was a little bit surprising to see Washington explode in the second half offensively, and the Hawks will aim to make some adjustments in order to keep the Wizards in better check. Wall should continue to dominate in this one as Washington is at home once again.
However, Atlanta’s second unit should give the team a big enough boost to help send this one down to the wire. Take the Wizards to move ahead in the series 2-0, but it’s going to be a close one. The Hawks should be able to cover this time around, and the “over” is once again the better choice on the scoring total.
NBA Odds: Wizards 109, Hawks 106
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