The Washington Wizards are 5-1 straight up and against the spread since losing John Wall to a knee injury last month. After having a five-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday night with a loss to Philadelphia, the Wizards will attempt to start up a new one with a win on Thursday night, hosting the Boston Celtics.
Celtics vs. Wizards 2018 odds: Washington gets nod at sportsbooks on betting lines
The Washington Wizards will try to pick up a win over the conference-leading Boston Celtics Thursday night as small chalk at the sportsbooks.
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Washington is a 1.5-point home favorite at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The home team is 11-1 SU and 10-2 ATS in the last 12 games between the Wizards and the Celtics.
Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards
When: Thursday, Feb. 8, 8 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
Betting Line / Total: Washington -1.5 / 206 Points
Washington Wizards
Losing a big star is usually detrimental to a team’s success. But in some cases, the rest of the team can rally together in the absence of their top player and collectively pick up the slack.
That has been the case for the Wizards so far without John Wall as they are averaging 113.5 points per game while allowing 105.7 points per game. Washington didn’t look sharp in Tuesday’s 115-102 loss to Philadelphia, but that game was a third in four nights on the road.
Washington is 2-0 SU and ATS over its last two home games since going just 2-3 SU and 0-5 ATS in its previous five, per the OddsShark NBA Database.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics shook off an 0-4 SU and ATS slump in mid-January to go 5-1 SU and 6-0 ATS over their next six games before losing 111-91 in Toronto on Tuesday night. With that loss, the Celtics are now just one game ahead of the Raptors for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Two meetings with Toronto down the road could play a big role in who gets home court advantage this postseason, but for now the Celtics need to focus on collecting wins and holding on to their slim lead. Boston is 6-2 SU and ATS in its last eight games as a road underdog of three points or less.
Thursday’s total is set at 206 points. The OVER is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers dealing with issues on and off the court, this could be the year that a team that isn’t led by LeBron James rises to the top in the Eastern Conference. Boston and Washington are two contenders to be that team, and Thursday’s game should have a playoff-like atmosphere to it as both teams face a tough test.
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