NBA Odds, Best Bets | Expert Picks for Hornets vs. Wizards (Feb. 8)

The NBA season continues on Wednesday with a nine-game slate after LeBron James set the all-time scoring record last night in Los Angeles.

Our NBA betting experts Jim Turvey and Andrew O'Connor-Watts have a pair of best bets on Hornets vs. Wizards — a game that truly only a gambler could love.

Find their picks and analysis for this matchup below.

Wednesday's NBA Best Bets

Hornets vs Wizards 1H Spread

Jim Turvey: This is first and foremost a fade of the Charlotte Hornets. They are 4-11 in their last 15 games and are flying down the standings (not that they were ever very high in those standings).

It's been even worse in the first half, where they have failed to cover in nine of the last 10 games, and for the season they are 17-37-1 against the spread in first halves. That comes out to a -39.3 percent ROI, which is easily the worst in the league.

On the flip side, the Wizards, despite a three-game losing streak, have won six of their last nine and have covered the first-half spread in seven of their last 10. For the season, they are 29-22-2 against the spread in the first half, and the nice thing about betting the Wizards is they often beat the teams they should beat and lose those they should lose to.

For the season, they are 5-1 against the bottom-four teams in the league and 2-5 against the top-two in each conference.

I like this bet all the way to -3.5 at -115, and I also like some escalators as they are currently priced. BetMGM has the Wizards -7.5 first-half spread at +220, so for a full unit play, I would put 75 cents on -2.5 and 25 cents on -7.5.

Pick: Wizards 1H Spread

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Hornets vs Wizards Spread

Andrew O'Connor-Watts: The Hornets have been struggling, losing their last four games and covering the spread just once in that span. But in the prior six, the Hornets were 4-2 both straight up and against the spread.

The Hornets have struggled to win games this season (8-23 on the road), but their ATS record has been above .500 away from Charlotte (15-14-2).

Meanwhile, the Wizards are 12-12 straight up and 9-14-1 ATS at home after getting crushed by the Cavaliers on Monday in Washington and have lost their last three games.

Kyle Kuzma missed last game and did not practice yesterday, which doesn’t bode well for him suiting up tonight. Bradley Beal, who missed the last two games, has a much better chance of returning after participating in practice. I don’t think Beal’s presence will be an overwhelming game changer as the Wizards have been right around their season average without him (14-13 ATS).

Washington has played Charlotte well this season, winning two of the three meetings, but last year the Hornets went 3-1 against the Wizards and are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings. I like the Hornets down to +3.5.

Pick: Hornets Spread

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