The Phoenix Suns (39-38) travel to Philips Arena to take on the Atlanta Hawks (57-19), the best team in the Eastern Conference. The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Apr. 7 and will air on FSN-AZ and SPSO.
The Hawks easily got past the Nets 131-99 on Saturday. DeMarre Carroll had 20 points, eight rebounds, and five assists for Atlanta. The Suns, meanwhile, are coming off an 87-85 win over the Jazz on Saturday. Gerald Green shot 10-for-17 and led in scoring with 24 points.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Hawks won the first game 96-87. Markieff Morris was a top player in the game with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, five steals, and two blocks.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Hawks enter the game with records of 57-19 Straight Up (SU) and 46-30 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 21-8 SU and 18-11 ATS versus the Western Conference. Atlanta has consistently been near the top of the league in terms of FG%, currently ranking third in the league with a field goal percentage of .467. The Hawks, sporting the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA (1.90), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. Turning to the defensive side, the Hawks are fifth in the league in steals with 9.0 per game. Something to watch out for is if Atlanta can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 18.3 points off turnovers per game.
On the other side, Phoenix has a SU record of 39-38 and an ATS record of 39-35-3. In Eastern Conference games, Phoenix has gone 18-11 SU and 19-10 ATS. During the last 10 games, they averaged 94.7 PPG, below their 103.3 PPG season average. Phoenix’s defense has allowed an average of 96.0 points per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 103.4.
Following the Hawks’ latest win over Phoenix, Atlanta is still behind in the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 3-7 SU. Additionally, with a 7-3 record, the Suns have the advantage ATS. Phoenix held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times in the last 10, while Atlanta wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – ATL, ATS Winner – ATL
Notes
Phoenix ranks eighth in points per game with 103.3, while Atlanta ranks seventh in points allowed with an average of 97.3 given up.
On average, Atlanta allows 95.6 points per home game. Phoenix averages 104.0 points per away game, ranking the team fifth in scoring.
In its last game, Phoenix won by a margin of two points. Atlanta is 5-4 in games decided by three points or less. Phoenix has a 4-11 record in close games.
The Suns have a 21-7 record when they allow fewer than 100 points. The Hawks, however, have performed well when they score under 100 points, with a record of 19-11 in such matchups.
The Phoenix Suns have a poor 18-31 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Atlanta Hawks are 38-8 when they hit the century mark.
The Suns have an offensive rating of 103.0 (ranked 13th), while the Hawks rank 10th for their defensive rating of 100.9.
The Atlanta Hawks have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the league with a FG% of 46.7%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Phoenix Suns have a poor 8-17 record.
Atlanta averages 26.1 three point attempts per game, and Phoenix attempts 25.1 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Hawks have a winning 35-12 record while the Suns have a 20-26 record.
The Atlanta Hawks rank third with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.90, while the Phoenix Suns rank near the bottom of the league at 28th with an A/TO of 1.38.
Atlanta ranks 28th in rebounds per game with 40.4, while Phoenix ranks 17th with 43.4 per game.
Atlanta is ranked 23rd in defensive rebounds, while Phoenix ranks 14th in offensive rebounds.
On average, the Suns force a turnover rate of 15.1%, ranked 10th in the NBA. When the Hawks turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 17-9 record.
