Pinnacle +10½ -106 BET365+10½ -110 SportsInteraction+10½ -110 5DIMES+10½ -110 88Sport +10½ -110

Posted at 11:00 AM EST

Washington +10½ -106 over Philadelphia

4:00 PM EST. Mathematically, the Wizards could be eliminated from playing into the postseason should they lose and Orlando defeat Toronto tonight, so in essence, they will come into this game “free-rolling”, as we like to call it.

If there is anything we can learn from Brooklyn’s 119-116 stunner of the Beast of the East, Milwaukee, it is that the level of variance in terms of quality between two NBA teams is often not as much as one can conceive. The Nets orchestrating an outright upset as an 18½-point pup illustrates this point vividly. Situationally, this one has all the makings for something similar, as the Sixers have been known to be a letdown artist, as they dropped eight games this season against sub .500 competition and bode a losing record against premium opposition, going 12-19 SU against teams above. The Sixers lose games that they are expected to win and fail to make a case as an elite team in many instances where they have the opportunity to snag an impressive victory. Situationally, this contest has all the ingredients for Philly to look past the Wizards and stub its toe. That said, we are not here to make a case for a Wizards upset, though stranger things have happened.

What does tickle our fancy is the number presented. Firstly, the double-digit spot is a long swim back for any team but given the circumstances, it is all the more perilous to be doing so given the aforementioned ingredients. Secondly, the number itself (10½) has piqued our attention. Washington lost by 11 to Indiana in its last game and we cannot help but suspect that figure has something to do with what we see here. Washington rallied in the fourth quarter to cut a 22-point deficit in half after Indiana called off the dogs. A back-door cover is certainly possible in this situation as identical circumstances can unfold, but we trust it won’t likely come to that. You see, the media will sell the narrative of Washington being 0-6-1 ATS in their last seven stints as an underdog and as we have said time and time again, these irrelevant trends have little meaning on the outcomes of games, but nonetheless, this material is regularly scoffed up in many betting analyses. With all considered, the market is reluctant to still give Washington the same amount of points it lost by in its last outing to a team of comparable quality to its previous opponent (Indiana). The Wizards are finally in a position to end that coverless streak as a pup and we’ll gladly play that accordingly with a hearty helping of inflated points.

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