Brooklyn Nets vs. Atlanta Hawks Prediction, NBA Odds
Despite sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, the Brooklyn Nets’ lack of depth was exposed when they rested the NBA’s leading scorer, Kevin Durant, on Wednesday, leading to a 114-104 loss to the Western Conference’s second-worst team, the Houston Rockets. The Atlanta Hawks, on the other hand, took down Minnesota 121-110 on Monday, helping them jump into a playoff spot in the East. With Durant back in the lineup, can the Nets get back in the win column in Atlanta on Friday?
The Hawks are 1.5-point favourites to win on the NBA odds, with a total of 223.5.
Nets vs. Hawks NBA Betting Odds
Brooklyn has dominated Atlanta over the last few years, winning 11 of the last 13 head-to-heads, including a 117-108 decision back in November. Sports Interaction bettors are on the Hawks for this one though, with about 57 per cent of action taking Atlanta.
The Nets have been comfortable on the road this season and come into Friday’s contest with wins in six of their last seven games outside of Brooklyn. They haven’t been a great cover option, however, as they’re 9-15-1 against the spread overall and have failed to cover in five of their last six games. The total has gone Under in five of Brooklyn’s last six games.
After a slow start to the season, Atlanta has turned things around and picked up wins in nine of their last 12 games. They’re 11-14 ATS this year, covering just once in their last five home games. The total has gone Over in six of the Hawks’ last eight games.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets gave Durant the night off on Wednesday and paid the price, so expect KD back in the lineup on Friday. Durant is obviously a huge part of this Brooklyn team as he averages an NBA-best 28.4 points per game. He also dropped a game-high 32 points in the November win against Atlanta. James Harden led the way on Wednesday, finishing with 25 points (game-high), 11 rebounds and eight assists. Harden is the other big piece of this team and averages team-highs in rebounds (8.0), assists (9.6, second-best in NBA) and steals (1.4). Durant (36.2 minutes per game) and Harden (35.9 minutes) both rank among the NBA’s top-10 in minutes played this season.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks have started to turn things around this year overall, but they’ve fallen into a three-game skid at home. Stopping Durant could be an issue for Atlanta, as they generate the least amount of turnovers in the NBA and have the 26th ranked defensive efficiency. Trae Young, who continues to be a key piece for the Hawks, put up a game-high 29 points and 11 rebounds in the win on Wednesday. Young is fifth in league scoring with 26.3 ppg and he averages a team-high 9.4 assists. Clint Capela is also having a big year. Capela is averaging 11.4 ppg, 12.7 rebounds (third-best in NBA) and a team-high 1.4 blocks.
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