Tonight we are backing the Washington Wizards as 8 point home underdogs against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Wizards are in the midst of a 5 game losing streak. Their record would dictate that they aren’t a very competitive team. There are a couple of interesting metrics that jump out with Washington. Their record certainly doesn’t indicate this, but the Wizards offense ranks top 12 in the NBA in effective field goal percentage. They also rank right at the league average in true shooting percentage. Washington’s offense isn’t nearly as bad as they’ve played recently. The Wizards also do a fantastic job of making halftime adjustments. Washington is one of the best third quarter teams in the entire league on offense. Their scoring averages improve almost 5% shooting from the field after halftime. The Pelicans are one of the league’s worst second half teams. New Orleans offensive field goal percentage decreases by almost 5%, with a 6% decrease in three point percentage. We anticipate the Wizards being able to keep this game closer than the bookmakers are calling for. Our wager is a half unit on the Wizards +8.