NBA: Golden State Warriors vs. Washington Wizards Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Golden State Warriors head to Washington to meet the Wizards. The Dub Nation is currently third in the West with slim chances to go either up or down, but they need to keep on winning and stay in the competitive rhythm for the playoffs. On the other side, the Wizards aren’t in the position where they planned to be. At the beginning of the year, Washington was topping the conference for a while, but after that, they experienced a slump that brought them down all the way to the 12th position in the East.

Preview

Golden State Warriors (48-26, -265) lost four in the past five, and they are now third in the West, with low chances of going up or down. The Grizzlies are three games ahead, while the Jazz and the Mavs are three games behind the Dub Nation.

Sunday’s event in DC will be the third straight on the road for Steve Kerr’s unit. The previous three saw them losing twice and winning once, noting that the last event ended with GSW losing in Atlanta, 121-110. Golden State lost the third period, 16-32, which was the reason for the defeat.

The positive thing is Klay Thompson’s performance, as he had 37 points, 14-for-26 from the field. Klay hit nine threes in 16 tries, and also posted seven boards not having a single free throw. Jordan Poole scored 24 points, while Gary Payton II ended the night with 14. These three guys were the only ones with a double-digit number of points for GSW.

Washington Wizards (31-42, +265) return home following a nasty period that saw them playing eight of the last 10 games on the road. They recently visited the Rockets, Bucks and the Pistons, losing the first two and winning the latter matchup in Detroit, 100-97.

Kristaps Porzingis was the man of the match with 30 points and 10 boards, plus two steals and blocks. Meanwhile, one other European, Deni Avdija, posted a double-double off the bench, scoring 21 buckets and 10 boards. The young Israeli international was there to take over in the crucial moments and replace Porzingis when needed.

We need to say, that Wizards played crippled without several starters. Wes Unseld Jr’s team has lots of problems throughout the entire season, and they are using the current situation to develop and improve some of the younger guys for the upcoming season.

Head to Head Games

The Wizards and the Warriors met two weeks ago at Chase Center. The hosts were better 126-112. Steph Curry exploded with 47 points, while Klay and Poole scored 20 buckets each. For the Wizards, Porzingis had 25 points, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 19.

Prediction

The Warriors are a much better team, and they won’t have any problems against the injured and weakened hosts. With all due respect towards all the available Wizards players, they aren’t at the same level as GSW. That’s why we believe that the guests are going to post a win and also, to cover a six-point spread. The odds on that are -110, which is pretty profitable, you have to admit.

Pick: Golden State Warriors -6