In tonights Eastern Conference match-up, we will see Washington Wizards hosting Chicago Bulls at Capital One Arena, with Washington hoping to end their 2 games losing streak.
Washington Wizards are currently sitting at 11th spot in the East with an overall record of 12-22 and a poor 1-4 record in the last 5 games. The only match they were able to win in the last 5 was against Phoenix Suns (149:146) after 3 OT. However, they failed to win against Atlanta Hawks (118:110), Houston Rockets (136:118), Indiana Pacers (105:89) and most recently against Detroit Pistons (106:95). It is clear the Washington team is struggling, as they have won only 1 match in the last 10 which is a disappointing record to have after promising start of the season. In the last match against Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards played on the same level as Pistons, with the teams only 1 point apart by the end of the 2nd quarter. But it was the 3rd quarter which saw Pistons outperforming Washington (31:17) and with the last quarter ending in 21:23, it’s clear that the 3rd quarter was the main reason why Washington lost. Final score: 106:95.
The visiting side, Chicago Bulls are not in a much better position than Wizards. As of now, they are 13th in the East with only 9 wins in the 35 games played (9-26). Looking at their recent 5 matches, Bulls won against Orlando Magic (90:80) and Cleveland Cavaliers (92:112), however, failed to do so against Oklahoma City Thunder (121:96), Brooklyn Nets (93:96) and most recently against Minnesota Timberwolves (94:119). The defeat against Minnesota ended Bulls 2 game winning streak and to be fair, the final result could be predicted by only looking at the first quarter, when Minnesota outscored Chicago by 11 points (18:29). The next quarter was something along the same lines, with Minnesota again proving to be a better side (19:31). At this point, Bulls were already 23 points behind the Wolves, who managed to hold on to their lead to the end of the match. Final score: 94:119.
Bulls match against Minnesota Timberwolves showed us that Bulls defence, despite improving is still not on the level they would have hoped it to be. Bulls on average let opponents score 110.2 ppg, in addition, their defensive efficiency is ranked 18th in the league. One of the big factors for that is their poor defensive rebounding; 33.9rpg. On the “bright side”, Washington is even worse in that regard, with only 31.3 rpg, which is also the 2nd worst record in the league. Combine that with both teams being able to score in the paint, this could easily result in a match with plenty of 2nd chances which also means a lot of points. This match could easily end with both teams going over 100 points, as Wizards have proven to shoot well when playing at home (well over 100 points in the last 3 games), whereas Bulls are expected to take advantage of Washington Wizards poor defence.
Prediction: Over 216.00 points
Odds: 2.04 Pinnacle
