NBA: Frank gives you the Why in point picking Wizards vs Suns and Lakers vs Jazz

Wizards (-1.5) @ SUNS (231)
Pick: Under 231
Washington is on the second leg of a back-to-back and in the middle of its final west coast trip of the season. After making a push to get themselves a puncher’s chance at the postseason, the Wizards are not going to be playing beyond their 82-game regular season schedule. They’ve scored under 110 points three straight games. Last night’s 124-106 loss to the Lakers is probably a sign of things to come for the Wizards on this trip. However, Phoenix appears to have reverted back to its losing ways after an impressive run at the end of February and into March that included wins against Milwaukee, Golden State and a Miami team battling for a playoff spot. So neither side is particularly appealing here, but going under the total certainly is. To go with the aforementioned scoring struggles for Washington, Phoenix is 43-31-1 to the under which is the fourth-best under record in the NBA. The winner here likely doesn’t eclipse 115 points which keeps the total under 231.

Lakers (+15) @ JAZZ (217.5)
Pick: Under 217.5
As we just discussed, the Lakers beat the Wizards last night at Staples Center. We’ll see how much LeBron James plays for the purple and gold down the stretch. In our other handicap we also mentioned Phoenix’s fourth-best under record in the NBA this season. The Lakers happen to be the best under team in the NBA with an under record of 45-28-1. The Jazz also seem to be turning the corner defensively having allowed 100 or fewer points in seven of their last nine games. Not only is Utah trying to catch Portland and Houston for home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs, but the Jazz cannot afford to slip to seventh in the West and potentially see Golden State in the first round. We’re guessing we get another intense effort from the Jazz defensively here and the under will be in good shape halfway through the fourth quarter tonight.