The Washington Wizards were active players before the trade deadline, bolstering their anemic bench by acquiring forwards Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough from the reeling Brooklyn Nets in exchange for guard Marcus Thornton, forward Andrew Nicholson and a first-round draft pick. The Wizards’ subs are averaging just 23.4 points in 14.3 minutes a game, which ranks 29th in the NBA. Bogdanovic’s arrival will help Washington in that regard as the third-year forward is averaging 14.2 points per game this season. He shot 44 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc as a starter for the Nets.
Washington headed into the All-Star break with its four-game winning streak intact after beating the Indiana Pacers, 111-98, on February 16. John Wall scored 20 points and dished out 12 assists in that contest to send the Wizards into fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings with an impressive 34-21 slate. The Wizards are peaking at exactly the right time, going 18-5 since the beginning of January. Key to Washington’s resurgence has been their excellent play on the offensive end. The Wizards have scored at least 100 points in each of their previous 22 games.
The Wizards are 7-3 SU and ATS in their last 10 road games. They are pegged at +3,000to win this year’s NBA Championship.
The Philadelphia 76ers also sent shockwaves before the trade deadline, dealing forward Ersan Ilyasova to the Atlanta Hawks and center/forward Nerlens Noel to the Dallas Mavericks. The Ilyasova trade netted injured center Tiago Splitter, a 2017 second-round pick and the option to swap 2017 second-rounders with Atlanta. With regards to the Noel deal, the Sixers received center Andrew Bogut, forward Justin Anderson and Dallas’ first-round pick, though the first-rounder is top-18 protected.
The rebuilding Sixers entered the 2016-17 season with an overabundance of young big men, including Noel (22), Joel Embiid (22) and Jahlil Okafor (21). Many were expecting Okafor to be the one sacrificed but it was Noel instead who got the boot. The Kentucky Wildcats alum averaged just 10.2 points across 171 games with Philadelphia. Noel’s limited contributions at the offensive end made him expendable for a Sixers side that’s ranked just 25th in points per game this season.
Apart from Noel, the Sixers will also miss Embiid for Friday’s showdown with Washington. The Sixers just announced that their rookie center will be sidelined for their next four outings as he continues to recuperate from his left knee injury. Embiid, who leads the team in scoring (20.2), rebounding (7.8) and blocks (2.5), suffered a bone bruise and small meniscus tear in his left knee when he landed awkwardly after dunking against Portland on January 20.
The Sixers are 8-2 SU and 10-0 ATS in their last 10 home games. They are pegged at +50,000to win this year’s NBA Championship.
