The Washington Wizards will travel to Philips Arena to take on the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Action begins at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday, May 3 and can be seen on ABC.
The Hawks enter this game hoping for similar success after dismantling the Nets 111-87 on Friday. Paul Millsap was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points on 9-for-15 shooting. Marcin Gortat claimed his 22nd double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
From an effective field goal percentage perspective, this will be a matchup of two heavyweights. Atlanta’s upper-echelon offense is ranked third in the league in that metric at 52.7%, while Washington is fifth-best in the NBA at making opponents miss (48.1%).
The odds for Atlanta and Washington are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Hawks come into this game 60-22 Straight Up (SU) and 49-32-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 12-4 SU and 9-6-1 ATS against divisional opponents. The Hawks are one of the best in the NBA in terms of three-point field goals, making 10.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Atlanta is one of the most disciplined teams in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.91. As for the Atlanta defense, opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Hawks, who rank fifth in the league in steals per game with 9.1. Atlanta is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.2 points per game.
In the other locker room, the Wizards have a record of 33-47-2 ATS and 46-36 SU. Despite having a winning record against its own division, Washington is unsuccessful ATS in those games with a record of 4-11-1.
With the Hawks’ last win against Washington, they evened up the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 5-5 SU. On the other hand, the Wizards hold the advantage ATS with a record of 5-4-1. Over the last 10 matchups, Atlanta held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice. Washington performed this feat one time.
Predictions: SU Winner – ATL, ATS Winner – ATL
Notes
Atlanta’s offense and Washington’s defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Atlanta puts up 0.0 points per game (ranked zeroth). Washington gives up 0.0 points per game, which is also ranked zeroth.
Atlanta and Washington are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Atlanta puts up an average of 0.0 points per home game, while Washington gives up 0.0 points per away game on average.
The Washington Wizards won their last game by 31 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Atlanta Hawks are 11-5. Washington is 7-10 in blowouts this season.
When the Wizards allow fewer than 100 points to their opponent, they are 39-10. When the Hawks score fewer than 100 points, they also have a winning record (20-13).
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Wizards are just 7-26 this season. Atlanta is a formidable 40-9 when registering triple digits.
The Wizards have an offensive rating of 101.1 (ranked 22nd), while the Hawks rank eighth for their defensive rating of 100.7.
The Atlanta Hawks have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with a FG% of 46.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Washington Wizards have an underachieving 6-16 record.
On average, Atlanta attempts 26.2 three pointers and Washington attempts 16.8 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Hawks have a solid 38-15 record while the Wizards are even at 3-3.
The Atlanta Hawks are among the best in the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.91 (ranked third). Ranking 11th, the Washington Wizards have an A/TO of 1.67.
The Atlanta Hawks are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 40.6 per game. The Washington Wizards average 44.7 rebounds (ranked eighth).
The Washington Wizards rank 19th in offensive rebounding, while the Atlanta Hawks rank 22nd in defensive rebounding.
Atlanta ranks third in forced turnovers with an average rate of 16.0%. Washington has a 13-15 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
