The Philadelphia Eagles have more wins since the Super Bowl kicked off than the Wizards and the Nets have needed to get red-hot of late to bring their record to a sparkling 21-35. No one is going to argue that these two teams are any good, but that is why sports betting is such a beautiful thing – a watchable on-court product is not a requirement for us to cash a ticket.
NBA Pick for February 24
Brooklyn Nets. vs. Washington Wizards Best Bet
Nothing about either of these teams is the least bit stable on the offensive end. Brooklyn and Washington both rank bottom-10 in assist-to-turnover rate and without true shot makers, that puts them at serious risk of scoring droughts.
It’s always nice when the stats align with what your eyes see, right?
The Nets are well aware of this flaw and that has them operating at the slowest pace in the league. Cam Thomas (hamstring) having played twice since Thanksgiving is certainly a part of that. Whenever he comes back, we can reevaluate, but he’s already been ruled out, so that’s not something we have to worry about just yet.
SEE MORE: NBA Power Rankings All-Star Break
Washington’s pace for the season isn’t as damning as Brooklyn’s, but with their rate down 1% over the past month, there are at least some breadcrumbs to suggest that they are coming around to the idea that the fewer possessions their games have, the fewer chances they have to fall behind.
With my possession count very limited for a game that features two of the five least efficient offenses, I think you can see where I’m going with this.
The Nets have seen 58.9% of their games go under the total this season, the third-highest cash rate; not a surprise given how this roster is put together. Over the past month, there has been an average of 199.8 total points per game scored when they take the floor, a trend that has a decent chance of sustaining through tonight.
Wait, I’m not done.
“Why are the Wizards 6-41?” pic.twitter.com/e26MqUS8IA
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) January 31, 2025
With this being a three-point spread, you need this game to be close. Overtime naturally is a concern, but that means that both of these teams will have to put points on the board to cost us this ticket in regulation – Jan. 14 was the last time that both teams reached 105 points in a Brooklyn game, a near impossibility in this era of hoops.
The Wizards were run off the court in Orlando yesterday, adding fatigue to the mix. They saw four of their starters have more fouls than assists and only one regular rotation piece shot over 33.3% from distance. The Nets aren’t built like the Magic, but if the possession count is as low as I’m projecting, they don’t need to be – the Wizards just need to be the Wizards and we have a 56-game sample size of that being something we can bank on.
Pick: Under 214.5 (-110, DraftKings)
