Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 2/28/2023

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to watch: BSSE-ATL, NBCSWA

DraftKings: Hawks -6

FanDuel: Hawks -6

BetMGM: Hawks -6.5

Caesars: Hawks -6

Wizards: 28-32

Hawks: 31-30

The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting!

The Quin Snyder era begins Tuesday for the Atlanta Hawks, as they try and salvage the remaining 21 games of this season with a new coach. Snyder’s first game is Tuesday when the Atlanta Hawks host the Washington Wizards in a battle of two teams in the Eastern Conference trying to solidify playoff positioning.

 

Snyder, the former Utah Jazz coach, returns to the coaching ranks after two-thirds of this season off. He and Utah parted ways following their first-round exit last season, which followed a blowing up of the franchise by trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell for a cornucopia of draft picks and immediate value on the floor.

 

“From our first conversation, it was clear that Quin had all the characteristics we were looking for in our next head coach,” Hawks general manager Landry Fields said in a statement from the team. “He has both an incredible basketball and emotional IQ, and we share the same core values and basketball philosophies of having honest communication and collaboration with players, tremendous attention to detail and placing a great emphasis on player development.”

 

Snyder takes over a Hawks team that currently sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference; one game behind the Miami Heat for seventh, and 3.5 games behind the New York Knicks for sixth and to get out of the play-in round.

 

The Hawks are coming off a 129-127 win over the Brooklyn Nets, led by a game-high 34 points from Trae Young. The All-Star guard hit a buzzer beater to secure the victory. Dejounte Murray added 28 points on 12 of 21 shooting.

 

“I’ve been counting down those seconds since I was 5 years old, 6 years old,” Young said. “That’s nothing new.”

 

The Hawks were 6.5-point favorites against the pesky Nets and failed to cover for the third time in the last four games. Despite winning four of the last six, they’re only a .500 team in that run against the spread. Talk about a team you can’t really trust right now.

 

And it’s not like the Wizards are any better. They’ve failed to cover in three of the last five and are coming off a 102-82 loss to the Chicago Bulls in what might have been the worst showing they’ve had in a minute given what they’re trying to prove.

 

Bradley Beal had just 18 points, but the Wizards didn’t have Kristaps Porzingis due to left knee soreness. So you can’t really fault the Wizards in that regard, but considering how bad the Bulls have been as of late, this should’ve been at least closer than it was. The Wizards were 5.5-point underdogs at the time of tip.

 

“We have to do a better job of screening to free up guys,” coach Wes Unseld Jr. said after the Wizards committed 16 turnovers. “A lot of them (Bulls defenders) shoot the gap and be disruptive from that regard. But those turnovers are costly. Those are empty possessions for us and leads to some transition opportunities for them.

 

"We got to do a better job of that, fighting force with force and manage their physicality.”

 

Not sure how much of Snyder’s gameplan we’ll see in this one, so it’ll allow the Hawks to play freely. That could also allow loose ends defensively. The Wizards should be able to take advantage of this one. Wizards 114, Hawks 107

Wizards are 14-28 ATS after playing 4 games or less in 10 days the last 3 seasons.

Wizards are 1-5 ATS off a road loss by 10 points or more this season.

Hawks are 6-17 ATS after winning 2 of 3 this season.

Hawks are 4-12 ATS off a home win this season.

PG: Delon Wright

SG: Bradley Beal

SF: Kyle Kuzma

PF: Deni Avdija

C: Daniel Gafford

PG: Trae Young

SG: Dejounte Murray

SF: De'Andre Hunter

PF: John Collins

C: Clint Capela

Injury report

Wizards: Kristaps Porzingis (knee, doubtful), Monte Morris (back, questionable)

Hawks: None