Preview: Pacers at Wizards

The Indiana Pacers are reeling from the loss of star guard Victor Oladipo as they begin a four-game road trip Wednesday against the Washington Wizards. Indiana is 0-2 since Oladipo was lost to a season-ending knee injury after being steamrolled 132-100 by visiting Golden State on Monday.

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The 32-point loss to the Warriors represents the Pacers’ worst of the season, and the team is viewing its trek as vitally important after losing its best player. “Everything is important right now,” Indiana coach Nate McMillan told reporters. “We’re going down the stretch and we’ve had to make some major adjustments. Every game becomes even more important. Certainly, this road trip is important.” Washington is beginning a three-game homestand after losing back-to-back games, including Tuesday’s 116-113 setback against Cleveland – a contest in which it trailed by 25 points in the fourth quarter. “Regardless of if the team you’re playing has a good record or not a good one, you’ve got to always outplay your opponent with effort,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks told reporters, “and we didn’t do that.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS Indiana, NBCS Washington

ABOUT THE PACERS (32-17): Tyreke Evans (back) will miss his second straight game on Wednesday, and that further diminishes the available firepower for Indiana. Edmond Sumner was pressed into the lineup on Monday for his first career start and scored two points on 1-of-10 shooting in a dreadful showing. “He had his head down a little bit after the game,” veteran point guard Darren Collison told reporters. “I told him, ‘Look, you may not notice, but you played good. Forget about the offense. I don’t care how good you are, nobody in their first game playing against a back-to-back championship team is going to be great. It takes time, it takes rhythm.'”

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (21-29): Tuesday’s setback was Washington’s second against the lowly Cavaliers this season, and Bradley Beal was none too happy with his club’s effort. “We probably thought that Cleveland was terrible, and they came out and punched us in the mouth, just like they did last time,” Beal told reporters. “You can’t overlook anybody. You’ve got to respect every team in the league.” Beal poured in 31 points for his fifth 30-point performance of the month and 12th of the campaign.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Pacers won two home games against the Wizards by an average of 12 points earlier this season.

2. Washington C Thomas Bryant scored just five points against Cleveland to snap a streak of seven straight double-digit performances.

3. Indiana SF Bojan Bogdanovic has recorded 15 or more points in eight of his last 11 contests.

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Preview: Wizards at Warriors

The Golden State Warriors bounced back from their first loss in impressive fashion on Monday while showing off the full range of their offensive gifts. The Warriors will try to make it two in a row on Wednesday, when they host a Washington Wizards squad coming off their first victory.

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Golden State came out flat and committed 19 turnovers in a 100-98 loss at Denver on Sunday but was a different team at home the next night, shooting 51.1 percent from the floor and cutting the turnovers to 14 in a 121-103 rout of the Phoenix Suns. “That looked like our team,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “The purpose of each possession, just driving and kicking and trying to get guys better shots and playing together. It was a good night.” The Wizards began their five-game road trip by outlasting the Portland Trail Blazers 125-124 in overtime on Monday to earn their first win. “It was a great win for us,” Washington coach Scott Brooks told reporters. “A lot of good plays, and finally, the ball bounced our way.”

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Washington, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State)

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (1-2): Washington rode a small-ball lineup featuring Markieff Morris at center to the win on Monday and plans to stick with that group whenever it needs a spark. “I think that’s the best basketball we played, obviously all year, but just for a while,” shooting guard Bradley Beal told reporters. “Because it’s fun out there. It’s fun. Everybody touched it. Everybody was involved and everything was clicking on both ends.” Morris ended up scoring 28 points while going 6-of-10 from 3-point range in 25 minutes.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (3-1): Golden State has no problem going small and regularly uses power forward Draymond Green at the center spot, though the team is committed to working center Damion Jones into the mix. The 23-year-old Vanderbilt product scored 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting in Monday’s win and is shooting 85 percent from the floor while averaging 21 minutes through the first four games. Superstar point guard Stephen Curry is off to a hot start as well and is averaging 30.5 points on 52.9 percent shooting, including 46.8 percent from 3-point range.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Washington C Dwight Howard (back) has yet to make his team debut and is not traveling with the team.

2. Warriors PG Shaun Livingston (knee) sat out the last two games and is questionable for Wednesday.

3. Golden State took both meetings last season and seven of the last eight in the series.

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Wizards at Raptors Preview

The Toronto Raptors won the first two games of their first-round, Eastern Conference series over the Washington Wizards but could not find a way to win on the road. The Raptors leaned into some bad habits in a Game 4 loss and will try to correct some mistakes when they host Game 5 on Wednesday.

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NBA IG Top 3 (Wizards vs Raptors / Pacers vs Cavs)

Toronto won a franchise-record 59 games during the regular season and earned the top seed in the East for the first time while playing a band of basketball that encouraged ball movement and 3-point shooting, but some of those traits were hard to find down the stretch in Game 4’s 106-98 setback. “At some point we’ve got to make sure we keep our composure and execute,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters. “We missed some shots we normally make. … We turned down some good looks I thought we’d normally step into.” The Wizards allowed an average of 122 points in the first two games of the series but cut that number down to 100.5 in the next two. “You have to have resolve to win in this league,” Washington coach Scott Brooks told reporters. “We’ve had some tough moments this year with (point guard) John (Wall) missing half the season, but we found it, and it put us in a position to make the playoffs through resolve. You win playoff games, and you win playoff series with having that. We have that, and we have to continue to have that because we have to win two more games, and one of them has to be on the road.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBATV, NBCS Washington, TSN 1/4/5 (Toronto)

ABOUT THE WIZARDS: All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal fouled out of Game 4 with just under five minutes left, but Wall took over down the stretch and finished with 27 points and 14 assists in the win. “Just go in attack mode,” Wall told reporters. “Even when Brad’s in the game, he’s telling me, ‘Be aggressive.’ At the same time, I’m trying to find him. I’m trying to keep him going and play my game. That gets my teammates involved and makes the job easier for those guys. They are knocking down shots and cutting for me, and I’m going to get my opportunities to score the ball.” Wall is averaging 26.3 points, 13 assists and three steals in the series.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS: DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 35 points in Game 4 but was just 10-of-29 from the floor. “I took some shots that I wish I could have had back,” DeRozan told reporters. “But it’s just my mindset going out there and being aggressive, wanting to win, wanting to feel like I was doing whatever it took offensively to push us to a win. But with that came some bad shots that I will definitely understand next time.” DeRozan and Kyle Lowry (7-of-15) combined for more than half of Toronto’s shot attempts in the loss.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Raptors PG Fred VanVleet (shoulder) was limited to a total of three minutes in the first four games but participated in practice on Tuesday.

2. Beal averaged 29.5 points in the two home games after averaging 14 at Toronto in the first two contests.

3. Washington PF Mike Scott scored four points on Sunday after averaging 15.3 points in the first three contests.

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2018 NBA Playoffs

First-round previews

If the playoffs are anything like the wild finish to the regular season, hold on. It took an overtime play-in win just to determine the Western Conference playoff teams, and little was settled outside of the top two seeds in the East heading into Wednesday’s season finale. But now that we have the sixteen teams, it’s on. The NBA’s second season officially begins on Saturday afternoon.

Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards

The Raptors have all sorts of pressure on them this postseason, but they couldn’t have done much better than facing the fledgling Wizards at the start. Washington, which has lost 14 of its last 21 games, welcomed five-time All-Star John Wall back on March 31 after he missed more than two months with a knee injury. Still, Toronto — which was third in offensive rating and fifth in defensive rating this season — should be able to survive.

Enter the TOR/WAS Series Tournament

Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Boston, which is without five-time All-Star Kyrie Irving for the playoffs and guard Marcus Smart until at least late April, has its hands full against these Bucks. Milwaukee’s 106-102 win over Boston on April 3 serves as the best evidence of how they match up at the moment. The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo will be looking to advance past the first round for the first time (he’s 0-for-2 thus far).

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat

Philadelphia comes in as the league’s hottest team, having won 16 games in a row. Never mind that All-Star big man Joel Embiid went down with an orbital fracture in his left eye eight games into the stretch, the Sixers just kept rolling. When Embiid was asked if he might be able to play for Game 1, he told reporters it’s “unlikely but still a chance.”

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers

LeBron James is no stranger to memorable playoff matchups against the Pacers, but this is a different version of the familiar story. With coach Nate McMillan and All-Star guard Victor Oladipo leading the way, the Pacers were a wonderful surprise this season.

Enter the CLE/IND Series Tournament

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Houston Rockets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Rockets dominated the season series against the Timberwolves, but only one of those games (a 126-108 win on Feb. 13) included Minnesota’s Jimmy Butler from beginning to end. The four-time All-Star tore his meniscus in their second matchup on Feb. 23, then missed the final two meetings before returning on Friday. The Rockets, meanwhile, lost key defender Luc Mbah a Moute to a dislocated shoulder on Tuesday, and he’s expected to miss the first round — if not longer.

Enter the HOU/MIN Series Tournament

Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs

This is a rematch of last year’s Western Conference finals in name alone, as Golden State is without two-time MVP Stephen Curry this time around and the Spurs’ franchise centerpiece, Kawhi Leonard, remains out after playing just nine games this season. But if anyone is capable of creating a gameplan to upset the ailing defending champions, it’s San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich. His Spurs had the fourth-best defensive rating this season. The Warriors, meanwhile, have lost 10 of their last 17 games.

Enter the GSW/SAS Series Tournament

Portland Trail Blazers vs. New Orleans Pelicans

The Trail Blazers lost seven of their last 12 games, but the regular season finale win over Utah was enough to earn them the No. 3 seed. Portland, which had the league’s ninth-best defensive rating this season, will have all it can handle with the way Pelicans star Anthony Davis has been playing (a league-leading 30.2 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game since DeMarcus Cousins’ season-ending Achilles injury Jan. 26).

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Utah Jazz

The Jazz boasted the NBA’s best defense for the final few months of the regular season, and now they’ll try to stop a star-studded Thunder squad that finished 10th in offensive rating. But the Jazz have to score too, and therein lies the most pressing question of their postseason: Can rookie guard Donovan Mitchell be the same star-caliber player on this stage? Utah certainly needs him to be.

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Celtics at Wizards Preview

The Washington Wizards are lacking momentum entering the postseason and will look to end a four-game losing streak when they host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. Washington’s troubles go back nearly six weeks as it has lost eight of its last 10 games and 13 of the past 19.

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The Wizards’ issues were on full display in Friday’s 103-97 home loss to the lowly Atlanta Hawks, when they shot 40.2 percent from the field and coach Scott Brooks all but called his team selfish. “Nobody wanted to share the basketball,” Brooks told reporters. “It’s a simple game: you pass it to your teammate, you pass it because the game tells you. If you don’t pass to your teammates, you’re not going to end up getting good shots.” Boston also lost to Atlanta in its most recent outing, blowing a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead on Sunday while suffering a 112-106 setback that represented its third loss in the past four games. “We just have to finish the game,” backup center Greg Monroe told reporters. “I think from our side it was a sloppy game. We have to be better on the pick-and-roll, guarding the ball. They got too many easy layups at the rim so we got to be better.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, NBCS Boston

ABOUT THE CELTICS (54-26): Monroe is averaging 17.7 points over the past three games and even recorded the second triple-double of his eight-year career in Friday’s victory over the Chicago Bulls. Boston sees the 6-foot-11 Monroe as a valuable contributor in the upcoming postseason as the inside game will be more important with star outside shooter Kyrie Irving (knee) done for the season. “We need him to play well,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters of a player who averaged more than 15 points per game in five different seasons. “I think the biggest thing – obviously we’re going into the playoffs with less people on our roster, and down some guys. The bench play is going to be huge for us.”

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (42-38): Shooting guard Bradley Beal scored 32 points and was the only Washington starter to score more than 10 against the Hawks. Point guard John Wall sat out to rest his surgically repaired knee – he has played three games since returning – while too many of his teammates were looking tried and worn out. “It’s playoff time, we can’t be fatigued,” small forward Otto Porter Jr. told reporters. “We’ve been playing all year, and it’s playoffs. You have to step it up this next week. We have one more week to get ready.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Wizards are 2-1 against the Celtics this season but it was Boston that won in the earlier meeting at Washington – 110-104 in overtime on Feb. 8.

2. Boston PG Terry Rozier is 8-of-26 shooting over the past three games.

3. Washington backup C Ian Mahinmi (concussion) will likely miss his second straight game.

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Daily Fantasy Basketball Projection Brooklyn Nets vs Washington Wizards

Dominate your competition with our NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Projection, create the winning lineup at Fanpicks.com. Verizon Center hosts the evening match-up between the Brooklyn Nets (21-56) and Washington Wizards (37-40).
Their playoffs hopes long since dashed, the Nets have dropped five consecutive games, including a Sunday evening blowout at the hands of the visiting New Orleans Pelicans, 106-87. Sean Kilpatrick once again led the team off the bench, finishing with 15 points and 3 rebounds while shooting 6 of 10 from field goal range and 3 of 4 from downtown. Since arriving with Brooklyn on February 28th, Kilpatrick has suited up for 18 games, averaging 12.9 points for the club. Henry Sims contributed 12 points and 7 boards, going 5 of 11 from the field, while Thomas Robinson had a double-double on the back of an 11-point, 15-rebound performance.

The Wizards, despite sitting four games out of postseason entry with five games remaining in their season, still haven’t been eliminated from the Playoff picture, but have lost three of their last four match-ups, including a road game at the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, 114-109. Marcin Gortat led the scoring for Washington, finishing with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 10 of 12 shooting from the field. Marcus Morris collected 18 points, hauled in 8 rebounds and facilitated 3 assists, going 7 of 14 from the paint. John Wall logged his 49th double-double of the year with 15 points and 13 assists, adding 3 triples along the way. Wall has been the picture of consistency for the organization this season, starting all 77 games for the Wizards and averaging 19.9 points and 10.2 dimes. Three games of the remaining five for the team come versus Eastern Conference foes jockeying for Playoff seeding.

Top Fantasy Picks

G John Wall (WAS)

G Bradley Beal (WAS)

F Markieff Morris (WAS)

Fantasy Basketball Daily Picks Wizards vs Warriors

Dominate your competition with our NBA Fantasy Basketball Daily Picks, create the winning lineup at Fanpicks.com. The Washington Wizards (36-37) travel west to battle the Golden State Warriors (66-7) at Oracle Arena.

Washington broke a short-lived two-game losing skid on Sunday with a 101-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. John Wall led the charge with 22 points, 13 assists, five rebounds and a steal, with his seven turnovers serving as the lone blemish on an otherwise stellar performance. Marcin Gortat followed suit with his own double-double, posting 16 points, 10 rebounds, a steal and two blocks. Otto Porter, Jr. was not far behind with 14 points, six rebounds and a steal. Nene Hilario tallied 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. The newly-acquired J.J. Hickson paced the bench with 14 points, five rebounds and two steals. It was an excellent evening from the field overall from the Wizards, who were able to garner a 54.2 percent success rate on their 72 shots. The Wizards remain in the fourth spot of the Eastern Conference’s Southeast Division, and are currently trailing the eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons by 2.5 games. They’ve came victorious in six of their last eight games, including three straight away from home.

Golden State prevailed over the Philadelphia 76ers in their latest contest, 117-105. A game that initially was suppose to be a blowout for the Warriors, considering the diametrically opposite records of both teams, didn’t turned out that way. Coach Kerr received another excellent effort from Klay Thompson, who collected 40 points, two rebounds and a block. It was notably the second straight game in which he’s hit the 40-point mark. Stephen Curry was calmer in comparison, contributing 20 points, eight assists, three rebounds and four steals. Draymond Green pitched in with one of his regular triple-doubles, gathering 13 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, a steal and three blocks. Harrison Barnes put up 10 points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal, while Mareese Speights paced the reserves with 17 points, seven boards and three assists. The Warriors are still the best in the Western Conference. They’ve now rattled off four straight wins since being dominated by the Spurs a little over two weeks ago, 87-79, and are still perfect 35-0 at home this season.

Top Fantasy Picks

G John Wall (WAS)

G Klay Thompson (GSW)

G Draymond Green (GSW)

NBA Fantasy Basketball Projections

Philadelphia 76ers vs Golden State Warriors

The defending champion Golden State Warriors will attempt to push their home game winning spree and remain perfect like their Western Conference rivals San Antonio Spurs, when they host the Washington Wizards Tuesday night at the Oracle Arena. Our NBA Fantasy basketball projections are brought you by FanPicks.com. Come PLAY in our Daily Fantasy Basketball contests at FanPicks and get a free chance to win $1 Million dollars!

A you’ve been noticed, we’ve been keeping track of the Golden State Warriors’ game recently because of their historic run and on pace to become soon, the best team in NBA’s regular season history. The Warriors are coming into this game after a win over the 76ers Sunday night, 117-105. Everyone expected a blowout considering the complete opposite records and talents of the 2 teams this year. However, it was an outstanding game by Klay Thompson, who tallied 40 pts, 2 boards and a block was quite impressive, especially because it was the 2nd consecutive game he’s had 40 pts or more. His splash brother, Stephen Curry was a little quieter with 20 pts, 8 assists, 3 boards and 4 steals. Draymond Green pitched in with his usual triple-double performance, putting down 13 points, 11 boards, 11 assists, a steal and 3 blocks.

Golden State still leads the Western Conference with a 4.5-game margin lead over the 2nd seeded San Antonio Spurs. They’re on another game winning streak since being dominated by the Spurs with 4 W the past week. They’re 35-0 this season and frankly will most likely be 36-0 by tomorrow night without a doubt.

The Wizards broke a brief 2 game losing streak with a win last night  over the Lakers, 101-88. John Wall led the charge with 22 pts, 13 assists, 5 boards and a steal, but 7 turnovers surprisingly. Marcin Gortat had a double-double performance with 16 pts, 10 boards, a steal and 2 blocks. It was a decent night for the Wizards as they will hope to keep their composure and shoot the way they did last night, in their 54.2% success rate from the field.

They’re currently in 4th in the Eastern Conference’s South East Division and 2.5 games back from a playoff spot behind the Detroit Pistons currently sitting in 8th. They’ve won 6 of their last 8 including 3 of those on the road but are playing against a monster that wants to make history tonight.

Washington Wizards vs Milwaukee Bucks  Fantasy Basketball News – 02/11/16

The Milwaukee Bucks (21-32) will host the Washington Wizards (23-27) Thursday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. FanPicks has this Fantasy basketball game on tap for tonight’s DFS action. Here are the latest Fantasy Basketball News:

Projected Lineup

The Wizards are coming back from New York, having bested the Knicks this past Tuesday, 111-108 and improving to a 12-11 record on the road. Washington shot 50% from the field and 61.5% from long range, seeing all their starters in double digits points. Their leader, John Wall tallied with 28 pts and 17 assists, shooting 10 out of 24 from the court. Wall averages a solid 20.1 pts per game with 9.9 assists having played in all the games this year for the team. Bradley Beal had a solid performance as well, adding up 26 pts, shooting 5 out of 8 from long range. Big man Marcin Gortat had a double double performance with 14 pts and 10 boards. Washington resides in 10^th place in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Pistons by only 2.5 games for the 8^th place and will hope to bounce back after this week’s all star weekend.

Milwaukee ended a 5 game losing streak this Tuesday by besting the Boston Celtics in a nailbiter, 112-111. Greg Monroe not only came off the bench but added a team leading 29 pts and 12 boards for a solid double-double, shooting 13 of 21 from the court. Michael Carter-Williams, added a solid 16 pts, 6 boards and 5 assists while Khris Middleton put up 20 pts, 5 boards and assists. The Bucks sit in the 13^th place in the Eastern Conference coming into this game, having had a very disappointing 1^st half of the season, standing 7^th worst in the league in scoring with an average of online 98.1 pts per game.

Golden State Warriors vs Washington Wizards 02/02/16 Preview

Golden State Warriors (44-4) at Washington Wizards (21-25) (8 pm EST)

The most unbeatable teams always seem to fall to the league’s bottom dwellers. That’s just the way it goes in sports. This #NBA season, the Golden State Warriors led by reigning #NBA #MVP Steph Curry have only four losses in 48 games played. 44-4. No matter what it stands for, that’s an impressive stat. In this case, winning basketball games; which isn’t exactly easy no matter who you’re playing against. This is the #NBA after all, and that’s why they have matched the all-time record.

The Washington Wizards on the other hand are…not good. You would think with Curry on the road and no hometown fans to pump him up the Wizards may have a slightly better chance tonight right…? Wrong…They are worse at home (10-15) then on the road (11-10) and the Washington crowd is probably there because they are hyped to watch the will-be 2016 #NBA #MVP Steph Curry.

The -10.5 line is fair, but I think the Warriors will eat it up quick.  I expect the normal Curry routine in this one: scores 30+ points and a handful of assists before he watches his teammates close out the Wizards from the bench during the fourth-quarter as Golden State collects their 45th win of the season.

Golden State recorded 68 assists on 89 baskets, and drained 29 of 59 three-pointers between in their last two. They also extended their streak of at least 30 assists to seven games and at least 10 three-pointers to 10.

The last #NBA team to record 30-plus assists seven games in a row was the 1993-94 Warriors.

Draymond Green had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to tie a 55-year-old franchise record last time out   (ninth triple-double), and Klay Thompson is always one to watch for – making 14 of 18 shots for 34 points himself.

John Wall is obviously Washington’s best player, but Marcin Gortat could pile up the boards tonight and take advantage of a loose Warriors defense for some points if the score is wide.

Advice: All the Warriors are options as the Wizard defense isn’t exactly impenetrable.  Use their depth players wisely to fill holes in your lineup and maybe get a better performance than you would elsewhere based on this matchup.

Washington Wizards vs Houston Rockets – 01/30/16 Preview

The Rockets (25-24) will host the Washington Wizards (20-24) Saturday evening at the Toyota Center. The Rockets are odd favorites to win (line: -4). Play in the most exciting daily fantasy basketball, including the newest Point Spread  and $10K Grand Action contests only at Fanpicks the premiere daily fantasy sports site.

The Wizards have won 5 of their last 7 games before their postponed game against the Utah Jazz last week. They have unfortunately been on a slump since and lost 3 straight, allowing opponents over 110 pts per game. Their defense is ranked 24^th in the league in pts allowed and their poor performances are putting their playoff contention in danger. The Rockets and James Harden will be another tough test for their defense, being one of the top offensive teams in the league.

The Rockets are playing this game back to back from a tough loss last night to the Thunder. It was a close game until Dwight Howard got unfortunately ejected in the 3^rd quarter. The Rockets are a great offensive team and feared among the NBA but lack on the defensive side like the Wizards and ranked 27^th in NBA. This will clearly be a high scoring game where Houston is a clear favorite..

Miami Heat vs Washington Wizards – 01/20/16 Preview

Verizon Center is the home for tonight’s showdown between the Miami Heat (23-19) and the Washington Wizards (19-21). Both teams are at a crucial crossroads in their respective seasons right now. Fanpicks.com is proud to announce its RotoPicker free to use tool, which allows you to create winning line ups and dominate your fantasy basketball competition.  Play the most exciting contest, including the newest Point Spread  and $10K Grand Action contests only at Fanpicks the premiere daily fantasy sports site

Projected Lineup

The Heat have dropped 5 of their last 6 games. They lost 91-71, at home on Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. Both Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside had 23 points apiece in the loss, with Whiteside 18 rebounds onto his stat sheet. The center ranks 4^th in the NBA for rebounds, averaging 11.3 per game. Miami has the worst percentage of shots from the field this season, with a 36.5% efficiency. But on the bright side, they maintain the 2^nd best defense in the league, giving up an average 95.5 points per game. They will be undergoing 5 game East road trip, during which they’ll tangle with the Bulls and Raptors before concluding with another match-up with the Bucks on January 29th.

The Wizard entered the weekend riding a 4 game winning streak, but have since dropped 2 in a row. They hold a 9-13 record at home this season. Washington suffered a 108-98 loss this past Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Shooting guard Garrett Temple did his best to keep his team competitive with an 18 points performance. Marcin Gortat also participated to the production, putting up 16 points and hauling in 13 boards. All-Star John Wall had an underwhelming 9 points. The Wizard allowed an average of 104.2 points per game, ranking them 24^th in the league in that category.

NBA Pro Basketball Sports Betting Match Up Previews for Saturday

The NBA has on tap eight outstanding games scheduled on Saturday January 16th to the satisfaction of pro basketball bettors worldwide.

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The action begins at 7:30PM Eastern Time on NBA League Pass Channel as the Washington Wizards will host the Boston Celtics. These teams have met twice already this season with the Celtics winning each time on their home court by the score of 111-78 and 118-98 covering the spread handily both times. But Boston has hit the skids in recent games by losing four straight until their beat Indiana at home on Wednesday. The Celtics are on a back to back in this spot after hosting Phoenix on Friday night. Washington has won three straight after a five point home victory to Milwaukee on Wednesday. They too are on a back to back after traveling to Indiana on Friday.

On NBA League Pass Channel at 7:30PM Eastern Time the Detroit Pistons will be home to the Golden St Warriors. They met back on November 9^th at Golden St with the Warriors posting the 109-95 victory at home and covering as a -12 ½ point favorite. Warriors have won nine straight against the Pistons. They rebounded after a road loss to Denver with the 116-98 home victory to the LA Lakers on Thursday night. Detroit is 13-6 on their home court but enters with a two game losing streak following a two point loss at Memphis on Thursday.

The Memphis Grizzlies will host the New York Knicks at 8PM Eastern Time on NBA League Pass Channel. The Knicks fall a game below .500 at 20-21 after a 110-104 road defeat to lowly Brooklyn on Wednesday. That broke a two game win streak for the team as the Nets were hot from the field. Memphis has struggled shooting the basketball this season that has resulted in a 22-19 mark. They are 3-1 on this home stand after beating Detroit 1-3-101 on Thursday.

The late night game begins at 10:30PM Eastern Time on NBA League Pass Channel as the LA Clippers will host the Sacramento Kings. These are two teams that don’t like each other. The Clippers have won both meetings thus far with Sacramento posting a 111-104 win at Sacramento and three days later beat the Kings at home 114-109.