Three at 3: Dysfunctional Wizards Worth Backing Tuesday
All good things must come to an end. After going 0-2-1, Three at 3’s 14-day winning streak ended on Monday night. Fortunately, the Three at 3 is still 31-13-1 over the last 15 days and has a great opportunity to start a new streak with these three plays Tuesday night:
1. Los Angeles Clippers at Washington Wizards (+1)
7:00 pm ET
The Clippers came away with an impressive push against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. Despite the Hawks leading by double digits in the third quarter, Los Angeles still won by eight. But the reality of that game was that the Hawks brought it to the Clippers, Atlanta just couldn't close it out. The reason Three at 3 liked Atlanta in that one was because of the Clippers' grueling travel schedule, and that doesn’t get any better with the team having to play a back-to-back in Washington tonight. The Wizards have been dealing with some serious locker room drama over the past week—John Wall apparently cursed out head coach Scott Brooks in practice—but that could force the team to rally together and come up with a big win tonight. Nothing quiets a narrative like winning games, and Brooks’s teams are 16-5 against the spread when coming off two or more upset losses in his coaching career. The Wizards also have Otto Porter Jr., who matches up well with Los Angeles's Tobias Harris, who has been a nightmare for opposing teams to guard this season.
Pick: Wizards (+1)
2. Los Angeles Clippers at Washington Wizards (Total: 231.5)
7:00 pm ET
The Clippers-Wizards matchup is the source of not one, but two, smart bets tonight. While the Wizards are the play to win this game, it’s also worth noting that this game should be extremely high scoring. Over the Clippers' last five games, an average of 242.0 total points have been scored. A lot of that has to do with the fact that the Clippers have the league’s fifth-best offensive efficiency rating at 112.7 points per 100 possessions. Meanwhile, the Wizards rank 29th in the league in defensive efficiency rating. That means that if Washington is going to win this one then the team is going to need to outgun Los Angeles. Both teams are in the top 10 in the NBA in pace, so there will be plenty of shots going up.
Pick: Over (231.5)
3. Portland Trail Blazers at New York Knicks (+7.5)
7:30 pm ET
Since the start of last season, the Knicks are just 4-14 against the spread when facing teams that outscored their opponents by at least three points per game. New York is also a lousy 1-10 ATS when playing at home after back-to-back road games in that span. Meanwhile, the Blazers are 22-11 when coming off a non-conference game and 36-23 against the spread when playing as a favorite since the start of last season. These teams are on opposite ends of the spectrum right now. The Blazers are one of the best teams in a loaded Western Conference, and the Knicks are right there in the conversation for worst in the East. This might seem like a lot of points for New York to be giving at home, but this game has the potential to get out of hand. Not only are the Blazers explosive offensively with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in the fold, but Portland has also been hellbent on turning into an elite defensive team. The Blazers are currently eighth in the league in defensive efficiency rating. Portland will be locking down a Knicks team that lacks a true offensive identity. New York hasn’t quite installed a true system under David Fizdale, who is running a simplified offense to ease the burden on his young roster. But it hasn’t yielded any results thus far, and Fizdale appears to be dangerously close to losing the Knicks locker room. There are multiple players that are unhappy with their playing time, and others who are playing more minutes than they deserve. That is a formula for a blowout loss. If the Blazers get off to a hot start, they won’t look back.
Pick: Blazers (-7.5)
Overall Record: 44-28-3
