Red-hot Wizards Without Beal Against Atlanta

Washington (32-36 SU, 38-29-1 ATS) has won 13 of 16 and is on the verge of clinching a berth in the play-in tournament, but the Wizards will be without leading scorer Bradley Beal when they visit Atlanta (37-31, 37-30-1). The Hawks have covered their last seven at home and opened as 6-point favorites.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Beal’s absence has certainly been noticed by linemakers, who opened the Wizards as 6-point underdogs — the most points they’ve caught in nearly a month. That line had steamed up to 7.5 by Monday morning.

Washington News & Notes

Needing to win two of their last four games to clinch a play-in berth, the Wizards may have to do it without their leading scorer. Beal underwent an MRI following Saturday’s 133-132 overtime win in Indiana and will sit out Monday’s contest with a hamstring strain that leaves his availability for the rest of the week uncertain. Beal left Saturday’s game briefly before returning to finish the contest, going on to score 50 points for the fifth time in his career.

Beal’s average of 31.4 points per game ranks second in the NBA, but he isn’t the only Wizard putting up eye-popping numbers recently. Russell Westbrook is on a tear of his own, racking up 33 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists Saturday to collect his 35th triple-double of the season. Twenty-five of those have come in Washington’s last 34 games, helping the Wizards go 18-16 SU since entering the all-star break with a 14-20 record.

Washington has been even hotter over its last 16 games, going 13-3 SU and not losing by more than one point in regulation time. The Wizards’ last three games have been decided by a total of four points, including a pair of overtime victories, and four of their last five have been decided by two points or less.

Atlanta News & Notes

The Hawks come into tonight’s game armed with something most NBA teams haven’t been able to enjoy lately: rest. Atlanta has been off since Thursday’s 133-126 loss in Indiana, giving the Hawks time to prepare for the final four games of the season as they look to clinch a top-six playoff spot in the East.

“We definitely needed this break, and we’re going to try to take advantage of it as well as get some work in,” coach Nate McMillan told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The extra time off may have also bought the Hawks time to get one of their key players back into the lineup. Forward De’Andre Hunter, who has been out since late March due to right knee soreness, participated in full practice Saturday and is considered a game-time decision against Washington. Prior to being injured, Hunter ranked third on the team in scoring and is also considered one of the Hawks’ best defenders.

Atlanta could use a boost at the defensive end after getting shredded for 70 points in the paint by the Pacers, who shot 61.1 percent from the field. The bright spots in the loss for the Hawks were the continued hot shooting of Bogdan Bogdanovic, who was 6-for-10 from behind the arc on his way to a 28-point outing, and a 30-point, 10-assist effort from Trae Young.

Betting Pick: Wizards +7.5

Beal’s absence obviously hurts, but this still looks like too many points to spot a red-hot Wizards team that hasn’t lost by more than three in the last month.