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Wednesday’s Tip Sheet

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read
ATS Rankings | Totals Report | Injuries

Game of the Night: Wizards (-3, 204 ½) at Celtics – 8:00 PM EST

These two Eastern Conference squads played seven games in their second round playoff series last season with the home team winning each time. So of course the first two meetings this season have seen the road squad capturing victory in each instance. The Wizards (38-30 SU, 32-35-1 ATS) knocked off the Celtics on Christmas day, 111-103 as four-point underdogs at TD Garden, but Boston downed Washington in overtime in D.C. on February 8 by a 110-104 count as two-point favorites.

The Celtics (46-21 SU, 40-25-2 ATS) are the walking wounded currently as forward Marcus Smart is sidelined with a right thumb injury, while leading scorer Kyrie Irving will miss tonight’s contest with a sore left knee. On top of those injuries, forward Al Horford is questionable with an illness, as the Celtics try to rebound from a 99-97 home setback to the Pacers on Sunday as 4 ½-point favorites.

Washington travels to Beantown following a 116-111 home loss to Minnesota on Tuesday after blowing an eight-point lead going into the final quarter. Markieff Morris led the Wizards with 27 points, but Washington was outscored, 34-21 in the last 12 minutes of the game to drop to 2-9-1 ATS in the past 12 opportunities as a home favorite. The Wizards own a mediocre mark when playing with no rest at 5-6 SU/ATS, including a 2-3 SU and 3-2 ATS mark on the road in this role.

Lake Night in Oakland

The Lakers (31-36 SU, 37-30 ATS) began the season at 11-27, but the Purple and Gold has rolled to a 20-9 record the past 29 games. The latest victory came against the Nuggets on Tuesday, 112-103 as two-point underdogs to improve to 12-1 in the previous 13 contests at Staples Center. Both Kyle Kuzma and Julius Randle posted exact 26-point and 13-rebound stat lines for Los Angeles, while knocking down 15 three-pointers.

Los Angeles travels up I-5 to face Golden State (51-16 SU, 28-38-1 ATS), who will be without several of its stars. Stephen Curry remains sidelined with an ankle injury suffered last week against San Antonio, while Draymond Green will sit with right shoulder soreness. Also, Curry's backcourt partner Klay Thompson is also unavailable as he will sit out due to a thumb injury. The Warriors return home following a pair of road defeats at Portland and Minnesota, while Steve Kerr’s squad has failed to cover the number in six straight games.

The Lakers have cashed in all three matchups with the Warriors this season, including taking two of those games to overtime at Staples Center. In the most recent meeting at Oracle Arena in late December, the Warriors held off the Lakers, 113-106, but L.A. took home the money as 11 ½-point underdogs. All three games have sailed OVER the total, but the Warriors are currently on a 5-1 UNDER run.

Cold Road

The Heat (36-32 SU, 34-29-5 ATS) have received a boost since acquiring former franchise star Dwyane Wade by winning seven of eight home games. However, Miami has struggled on the highway by losing all five road games since Wade returned, while the Heat have dropped eight consecutive contests away from American Airlines Arena. The most recent setback came at Portland on Monday, 115-99 as six-point underdogs, while Wade and Hassan Whiteside each sat out due to injury.

Both players will sit again tonight as the Heat visit Sacramento (21-47 SU, 31-34-3 ATS), who posted a 3-2 record on its most recent homestand. The Kings are fresh off a pair of road losses at Denver and Oklahoma City, but managed a cover as 13 ½-point underdogs in Monday’s 106-101 defeat to the Thunder. Sacramento shocked Miami on January 25 as 9 ½-point ‘dogs, 89-88, ending a six-game losing streak to the Heat dating back to 2015.

Out of Tricks

A brutal season for Orlando (20-48 SU, 32-35-1 ATS) hit a low point on Tuesday in a 108-72 setback at San Antonio as 10 ½-point underdogs. The Magic lost all five games on their road swing, while dropping eight consecutive contests away from central Florida since mid-February. Orlando has won two straight at home as the Magic try to extend that streak as the Bucks invade Amway Center.

Milwaukee (36-31 SU, 27-35-5 ATS) is riding a two-game hot streak following a 1-6 stretch as the Bucks blew out the hapless Grizzlies on Monday, 121-103. Since the start of February, the Bucks own a dreadful 6-12 ATS record, including a 3-7 ATS ledger as a favorite. Milwaukee has captured the first two matchups with Orlando this season, including a 111-104 road victory as five-point favorites on February 10.

You can reach Kevin Rogers via e-mail at rogers@vegasinsider.com

Kevin Rogers can be followed on Twitter at virogers.



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