Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs continue on Saturday and I will have a free pick in Game 3 between the Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards, which will take place at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The game has a start time of 5:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on ESPN. Current Vegas betting odds have the Wizards listed as 1.5 point favorites, while the total is set at 200.
Analysis: The Atlanta Hawks came into the playoffs as the top seed in the East, but they really struggled with the Nets before crushing them in game 6 to move on. They then went out and lost game 1 of this series, before bouncing back on Tuesday night with a 106-90 win. Atlanta has gone 26-17 on the road this year, but did go 1-2 at Brooklyn in their opening series. The Hawks have gone 14-6-2 ATS in their last 22 vs. the Southeast Division, but just 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 Conference Semifinals games. The Hawks scored 101.7 ppg on 45.6% shooting overall and 37.4% shooting from long range on the road this year. Defensively they allowed 99.2 ppg on 43.9% shooting overall and 35.1% shooting from long range away from home this year.
The Washington Wizards upset the Raptors in round 1 of the playoffs and were picked by many to upset the Hawks in round 2. They do have a chance to make that happen as they now head back to Washington with the series tied at 1 games a piece. Washington has been very good at home this year, where they are 31-12. The Wizards have gone 13-4-1 ATS in their last 18 games following a ATS win, but just 3-9-1 ATS in their last 13 vs. the Southeast Division. The Wizards have scored 102.9 ppg on 47.4% shooting overall and 39.2% from long range at home for the year. Defensively they have been solid at home allowing 96.3 pg on 44.2% shooting overall and 32.1% shooting from long range.
Pick: I am going with the Wizards in this game. They have proven to be the more consistent team both late in the year and in the playoffs. Atlanta really turned off their switch down the stretch as they had virtually nothing to play for and it has been hard for them to get back in their groove in the playoffs. the Hawks have been solid on the road, but the Wizards have been very good at home this year and I see them taking another step towards the Eastern Conference finals, with a nice home win over the floundering Hawks.
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