Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, February 17, 2022
Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Where to Watch: YES
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Wizards +3, Nets -3; Over/Under: 219.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Wizards +3.5, Nets -3.5; Over/Under: 219.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Wizards +3.5, Nets -3.5; Over/Under: 219.5 points
Season Record
Washington Wizards: 26-30 (4th place, Southeast Division)
Brooklyn Nets: 30-27 (4th place, Atlantic Division)
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Washington Wizards vs Brooklyn Nets Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Washington Wizards: 3-7 last 10
Brooklyn Nets: 1-9 last 10
Washington Wizards Analysis
The Wizards are coming into this game with a 26-30 record overall and they are 11-15 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 2 of their last 3 games and are coming into this one off of a win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Sacramento Kings while their 2 wins in that span came against the Brooklyn Nets and the Detroit Pistons in their last game. They still have a game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night that needs to be played first so this will be the 2nd leg of a back-to-back for them on Thursday night. In their game against the Pistons, Kyle Kuzma led the team in points in that game with 23 while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was next on the team with 16 points. Ish Smith led the team in assists in that game off the bench with 6 while Deni Avdija led the team in rebounds with 15. They were 47.1% from the field, 31% from 3-point range, and 77.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 106.9 PPG and their defense is averaging their opponents to average 109.9 PPG against them. The Wizards have an ATS record of 22-33-1 this season and their O/U record is 28-27-1.
Brooklyn Nets Analysis
The Nets are coming into this game with a 30-27 record overall and they are 13-14 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They have lost 11 of their last 12 games but are coming into this one off of a win in their last game which snapped an 11 game losing streak that they were on. Their 11 losses in that span were against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Denver Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors, the Phoenix Suns, the Sacramento Kings, the Utah Jazz, the Nuggets again, the Boston Celtics, the Washington Wizards, and the Miami Heat while their win came against the Kings in their last game. They still have a game against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night that needs to be played first so this will be the 2nd leg of a back-to-back for them on Thursday night. In their game against the Kings, Seth Curry led the team in points in that game with 23 while Bruce Brown Jr. and LaMarcus Aldridge off the bench were both next on the team with 19 points each. Brown Jr. led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Andre Drummond led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 51.2% from the field, 34.6% from 3-point range, and 93.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 110.9 PPG and their defense is averaging their opponents to average 110.8 PPG against them. The Nets have an ATS record of 21-35-1 this season and their O/U record is 27-29-1.
Wizards vs Nets Prediction
Both of these teams made some moves at the trade deadline last week and have been starting to show some improvement recently. The Nets tried out their new pieces in their last game against the Kings and they finally snapped an 11 game losing streak that has been plaguing them ever since Durant went out with an injury. They are much better off after the trade they made though and the environment in the locker room has even been better since then as well. The Wizards are also coming off of a win in their last game but that was against the Pistons, an awful team this season, and they are still missing their best player here in Bradley Beal. The Wizards are too inconsistent as a team without Beal in the lineup and the Nets will start to play a lot better now that their pieces are starting to gel together with each other. The Nets did not just win their last game but they smashed the Kings by over 20 points and they did not even allow 90 points in that game. The Nets are better off after their trade and they will start to play well again now that their team is coming together. The Nets will win this game at home by double digits.
Wizards Nets Prediction: Our NBA Pick for Thursday, February 17, 2022 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Nets 117 Wizards 107.
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NBA Betting Trends
Washington Wizards: 21-32 ATS in all games. 8-16 ATS in road games.
Brooklyn Nets: 17-10 ATS as a home underdog. 16-11 UNDER in home games. 31-21 UNDER revenging a road loss vs opponent.
Key Injuries
Washington Wizards: K. Porzingis (PF) Out Wed - Knee injury. R. Hachimura (PF) Ques Wed - Ankle injury. B. Beal (SG) Late Feb - Wrist injury. D. Gafford (PF) Out indefinitely - Illness.
Brooklyn Nets: K. Irving (PG) Ques Wed - Personal. B. Simmons (SG) Late Feb - Conditioning. K. Durant (SF) Late Feb - Knee injury. J. Harris (SG) Out indefinitely - Ankle injury.
Notable Quotes
"Just the commitment to playing the right way. That's super, super important, and for most of the season we haven't necessarily done that for multiple games, and I think over these past three games, it's been really refreshing to play this way." - Kyle Kuzma on their win against the Pistons on Monday night.
"(Coach Steve Nash's) message was very simple — just play your game and the rest will take care of itself. All the little details of plays and defensive schemes, you know, we'll worry about that later when we've got time to practice, but today's agenda was just to play as hard as we can and win a game." - Andre Drummond after their win against the Kings on Monday night.
Starting Lineups
Washington Wizards
PG Raul Neto
SG Corey Kispert
SF Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
PF Kyle Kuzma
C Thomas Bryant
Brooklyn Nets
PG Patty Mills
SG Cam Thomas
SF Seth Curry
PF Kessler Edwards
C Andre Drummond
Statistical Leaders
Washington Wizards
PPG: B. Beal (23.2)
APG: B. Beal (6.6)
RPG: K. Kuzma (8.7)
Brooklyn Nets
PPG: K. Durant (29.3)
APG: K. Durant (5.8)
Reb/G: A. Drummond (8.8)
Coaches:
Washington Wizards: Wes Unseld (1st season)
Brooklyn Nets: Steve Nash (2nd season)