Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks Game 2 NBA Odds Preview, Betting Stats

Following a 104-98 upset victory as 5.5-point underdogs in Game 1 of their second-round series Sunday afternoon, the Washington Wizards will be looking for more of the same Tuesday night when they take on the Atlanta Hawks as underdogs once again in Game 2 of the best-of-seven set.

The Wizards became the first team in NBA history to win four consecutive playoff series openers on the road, improving to 8-1 away from home in the postseason over the past two years.

Despite earning the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a franchise-best 60-22 record, Atlanta has gone 2-7-1 against the spread in its last 10 games dating back to the regular season, going 4-6 straight up during that stretch.

The Hawks opened as slightly bigger favorites in Game 2 with a 6.5-point advantage as they look to bounce back in front of their home crowd before playing the next two on the road. Atlanta was a conference-best 35-6 SU at home during the regular season and is 26-19 ATS there including the playoffs, according to the Odds Shark's NBA Database.

Washington pulled off the victory at Atlanta over the weekend by playing outstanding defense in the last two quarters after trailing 63-53 at halftime. The Wizards held the Hawks to fewer points in the entire second half (35) than the first quarter (37) and saw shooting guard Bradley Beal score a game-high 28 points despite playing on a sprained ankle.

Washington point guard John Wall also had a fine all-around performance with 18 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds, while Otto Porter and Drew Gooden combined for 22 points and 16 rebounds off the bench.

Beal’s injury status has him listed as questionable for Game 2, which could be another reason why the Wizards are bigger underdogs. While they are a perfect 5-0 in the postseason so far, they are also 5-0 ATS on the NBA betting lines in those games, covering seven in a row, including their last two games of the regular season en route to going 9-1-1 in their past 11 games versus the line.

In addition, the over has cashed in four straight times for Washington along with seven of the last eight games. The over has cashed in three of four for Atlanta as well for totals bettors heading into Tuesday's night's Wizards vs. Hawks betting matchup.