The Oklahoma CIty Thunder and Washington Wizards have been perennial playoff participants the past few seasons and have designs of making postseason runs once again in 2018-19. If that is going to happen, each team needs to pick up its play. The Thunder and Wizards are off to slow starts as they prepare to face off against each other this week.
Oklahoma City is the more talented team but Washington gets this matchup at home so the contest figures to be a competitive one. The defection of LeBron James to the Western Conference opened up the East, but thus far the Wizards have done nothing to make people believe they will be among the top contenders.
The Thunder now has to deal with LeBron and the Lakers in addition to teams like the Warriors, Rockets and Jazz. There isn’t much room for error in the West and Oklahoma City has to get rolling in a hurry. A road win here against the Wizards would help that goal in NBA gambling.
This NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Washington Wizards will be held at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. at 7 p.m ET on Friday, November 2nd, 2018. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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Odds Analysis
The Wizards are tied for the worst record in the NBA at 1-6. It’s still early but all the struggles are not a good sign. Washington beat Portland by a point in overtime to begin a five-game road trip but subsequently lost four in a row. The Wizards will be happy to get back home for this one as they aim to pick up a much-needed win.
The Thunder is 2-4 on the season. Oklahoma City began the year with four straight losses as star point guard Russell Westbrook either sat out or was limited, but has won two straight since then. The Thunder beat the Suns and the Clippers, so they weren’t exactly marquee victories, but the team needs any win it can get right now.
Washington has given up a ton of points this season so don’t be surprised if the scoring total is pretty high for this one.
Player To Watch
Paul George -- The Thunder was expected to be among the best in the West this season because George decided to re-sign with the team. He and Westbrook are one of the top duos in the NBA and the Wizards will have their hands full in this one trying to slow them down.
George is off to a nice start with an average of 25.5 points per game while adding 6.7 rebounds. He is shooting only 41.5 percent from the floor and will aim to improve on that but George has fit in well with the Thunder and should continue to play well.
Injury Report
The Wizards are expected to get Dwight Howard back for this game. He has missed every game this season with a back injury, and should be a nice boost for the team. It’s unknown if Howard will be on a minutes restriction, but he doesn’t figure to make a huge impact coming off an injury.
Howard used to be one of the best big men in the NBA but expectations should be muted for this game and the season as he is no longer the same force down low. Even so, the Wizards should get a boost in rebounding and interior defense when Howard is on the floor.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Wizards are better than they have shown thus far. They need to get the defense figured out but there should be some urgency in this game. It is early in the year but Washington can’t allow to let home games like this slip.
This one should be close from start to finish as these teams are evenly matched, but look for Washington to come away with a much-needed win over the Thunder in NBA gambling. Consider the “under” as this one won’t be as high-scoring as expected.
NBA ATS Pick: Washington Wizards 110, Oklahoma City Thunder 106
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