Wizards @ Hawks Predictions 5/12/21: Take Wizards to keep things close with Atlanta

The Washington Wizards travel down to Atlanta to take on the Hawks and Zach Rainey has some predictions ahead of that match-up...
The Atlanta Hawks take on the Washington Wizards yet again Wednesday after the Hawks held on for a one-point win.
That was the game Russell Westbrook broke Oscar Robertson’s record for triple-doubles. Triple-doubles used to be incredibly rare, and the betting odds reflected it. But before Monday’s game, Westbrook was -400 to record a triple double. That’s insane.
My opinions on Westbrook have changed over the years.
But one thing that remains constant is his effort. You can say that he gets the rebounds and assists for selfish reasons like his stat line, but the fact of the matter is he hustles. Game in and game out, Westbrook puts forth every fiber of effort into every game. He’s not one of those “load management” guys we’ve come to see in the last decade.
I would obviously like the Wizards better if they had Beal, but I still think they keep it close.
In four of Washington’s last six games, the game has been decided by one point, win or lose. With the Hawks giving 6.5 tonight, I like the chances for the Wizards. Just because Westbrook got his record, I don’t think the motivation stops there.
After stumbling out of the gate, Washington is in position to clinch a spot in the Play-In Tournament six days from now with a win over the Hawks. Even if they don’t come out with a win, I expect them to cover the 6.5. I know Atlanta got up big in the last game before the Wizards made a late push, but I think the added motivation of clinching a playoff spot is big for them tonight. The Wizards are also fourth in the league in ATS record at 39-29-1.
I’ll be excited to watch the Wizards in the play-in, especially if they have Bradley Beal back.
It’s not that I don’t like Atlanta, I do. A lot. In fact, I think I’m going to end up taking a series bet for them to defeat the New York Knicks in the first round if that does end up being their opponent in the first round.
But for this game, with the Hawks giving nearly 10 points to a team that’s going to be hungry, I like the Wizards at +6.5 tonight. The only thing that makes me weary is that the public is all over the Wizards to the tune of 74 percent of the bets. If you think tonight is the night the Wizards clinch the play-in spot, the Wizards are +210 on the moneyline.