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NBA Betting: When Will the Wizards Win Again?

Aidan McGrath
Aidan McGrath@ffaidanmcgrath

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NBA Betting: When Will the Wizards Win Again?

As the NBA kicks off its final months of regular season play, the Washington Wizards are bottoming out. They're in the midst of a league-worst 15-game losing streak and are tied for the worst record in the league at 9-52.

The team they're tied with? The Detroit Pistons, who earlier this season set the NBA record for most consecutive losses (28) in a single season. The Pistons have since bounced back to cobble together a few wins, while the Wizards' season is sliding off the rails.

With 15 straight losses the Wizards are a ways off from contesting the Pistons' record-setting streak. But, with 21 games remaining on the schedule the Wizards could still contest the Pistons' tough-luck record before the season's end.

Can the Wizards snap their losing streak, or are they destined to become the second team this season to break the embarrassing record for consecutive losses? Let's take a look at the Wizards' Next Regular-Season Win Odds special at FanDuel Sportsbook to see how bettors feel about the team's chances.

Wizards' Next Win Odds

Date
Opponent
Odds
3/6Orlando Magic*+240
3/8Charlotte Hornets+105
3/10Miami Heat+1200
3/12Memphis Grizzlies+750
3/14Houston Rockets+3400
3/16Chicago Bulls+4200
3/17Boston Celtics+8500

Looking at their upcoming schedule, the Wizards could have some real opportunities to snap their cold streak. Their current losing streak features just one single game against another team with a losing record (they fell 127-115 to the 28-34 Utah Jazz in their last outing), so games against teams like the Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies could be the change of pace this team needs.

As a note, the Wizards' game against the Orlando Magic later tonight is not available as part of this special. However, if you think the Wizards can take down Orlando, you can bet them with +240 odds on the moneyline in tonight's tilt.

For those counting, the team's potential 28th-straight-loss would theoretically come against the Pistons. What could be more fitting than that?

That March 29th tilt against Detroit (+12000) is as far out as these odds go, but particularly pessimistic bettors can also bet the team to go winless the rest of the way at +30000 odds. That would require a shocking number of losses, but with this iteration of the Wizards, anything feels possible.

So, which games on their remaining schedule look like interesting bets to snap to their losing streak?

Charlotte Hornets (+105)

The shortest odds on this special belong to the Hornets, who have arguably played worse basketball than either the Pistons or the Wizards this year; they rank dead last in numberFire's schedule-adjusted rankings.

Of all the teams remaining on Washington's schedule, the Hornets are likely the weakest. They're too banged up, they traded away their most capable veterans, and they simply don't score points. Their 107.3 points per game ranks 29th. Even with the Wizards' league-worst defense allowing 124.7 points per game, they still have a solid shot of pulling of a win against the Hornets.

Friday's game against the Hornets looks like the most natural spot for the Wizards to snap their losing streak. But, in order for that to happen, the streak would have to stay alive for one more game -- Wednesday night's tilt with the Magic.

Orlando Magic (+240)

The Magic have the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference (36-26), but I am frankly not buying it. They rank as the 12th-best team in the NBA in numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics and have the 12th-best margin of victory (+1.77 points per game). They play with the fifth-slowest pace in the league, turn the ball over at the second-highest rate (13.4% of possessions), don't score a ton of points, and try to win by narrow margins.

That makes them relatively ill-equipped to take advantage of Washington's abysmal defense. And, while they like to play slow basketball, the Wizards play at the fastest pace in the league (103.3 plays per 48 minutes). With their high turnover rate, this game could get sloppy and unpredictable. Finally, the Wizards are catching the Magic on the second leg of a back-to-back.

The Magic are the better basketball team but could pair strangely poorly into one of the worst teams in the league.

Memphis Grizzlies (+750)

If the losing streak survives the Wizards' games against the Magic and the Hornets, they'll play into the Miami Heat; you can get +1200 odds for them to beat Miami as part of the special. I don't like their chances of beating Miami, but I do like their next their next matchup: the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies are the most banged up team in the league right now. They've spent most of the season with an extensive injury report, and after Jaren Jackson Jr.'s recent injury, they've been fielding a starting five without any of their intended starters from the beginning of the year.

Most season-long metrics don't look kindly upon the Grizzlies -- they rank sixth-worst in numberFire's rankings -- but they've been even worse lately. Since the beginning of February, Memphis has averaged just 101.5 points per game -- almost 5 fewer points than their already-league-worst 106.1 points per game average on the season.

If the Wizards' streak survives a matchup with the Hornets, it feels improbable that it will carry on past their March 12th tilt with Memphis.

However, this Wizards team is already improbably bad, so who knows how long this streak could keep rolling?


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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

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