San Antonio Spurs vs. Washington Wizards: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 3/24/2023

by Chuck Sommers

Friday, Mar 24, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
Where to watch: NBCSWA, BSSW-SA

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Wizards -7
BetMGM: Wizards -7
Caesars: Wizards -7

Season record
Spurs: 19-54
Wizards: 32-41

The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting.

Wizards - Spurs preview, prediction and analysis


The Washington Wizards will try to end their four-game losing streak Friday when they host the San Antonio Spurs, who are going for their 20th win of the season. Clearly, something has to give here.
 
The Wizards’ playoff hopes continue to slip now 1.5 games back of the Chicago Bulls for the 10th seed and a spot in the play-in tournament. They’re going to have to make a charge here if they want a chance. But not only have the Wizards lost four straight, they’ve all been by double digits and three of them to playoff teams Denver, Sacramento and Cleveland.
 
Washington is coming off a 118-104 loss to the Nuggets at home last time out that dropped the Wizards to 32-41. Kristaps Porzingis led the way with 25 points. Denver outscored them 39-15 in the third quarter, which is all you need to know.
 
“It’s frustrating of course, but we can’t control the circumstances,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said “It’s just more, how do we respond to the circumstances? That to me is more important. It’s an indication of who we are collectively and individually."
 
The Wizards have a good opportunity to get a win against a Spurs team that has been competitive, but they’ve been lacking defense. They’ve played hard to the top of the competition, but the Spurs just don’t have that consistency and they’re now down a lot of key names. They’re coming off a 130-94 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday that no one will want to talk about.
 
Devin Vassell led the way with 16 points, but shot 5 of 16 from the floor. San Antonio fell to just 6-29 on the road, so of course that’s another situation that doesn’t seem good in their favor.
 
“They've got their culture down,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They're confident. They know they can do it if they play the right way, which they do most of the time. Tonight was a good example. I'd love to be able to play them every night. It would be great for our young kids to see how it gets done and how mistakes are made and what's important.”
 
Prediction
 
If Bradley Beal can’t go due to a knee injury, this is something that I don’t think the Wizards can handle, though the Spurs are down a great deal of people. Beal is just another person entirely. Spurs 118, Wizards 116

Projected starting lineup

Spurs:
PG: Tre Jones
SG: Devin Vassell
SF: Keldon Johnson
PF: Jeremy Sochan
C: Zach Collins

Wizards:
PG: Monte Morris
SG: Jordan Goodwin
SF: Corey Kispert
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
C: Daniel Gafford

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.

Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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