The Washington Wizards will have their chance to beat the Southeast’s best team when they face off against the division rival Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The game begins at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 21 and will air on FxS and WA2.
The Hawks beat the Rockets 109-97 on Saturday. Al Horford was the team’s high scorer with 22 points on 10-for-19 shooting. The Wizards, meanwhile, are coming off a 99-89 win against the Knicks on Saturday. John Wall had a big game, registering 24 points and 10 assists to claim his 42nd double-double of the season.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Hawks winning the first matchup 114-99. In the victory, Kent Bazemore led all scorers on the team with 25 points.
The Hawks have gone 41-29 Straight Up (SU) and 36-32-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have the same record SU and ATS against divisional opponents, going 7-5. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of Atlanta’s offense. They are second in the league in assists with an average of 25.6 per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Hawks, who rank third in the league in steals per game with 9.3. If its opponents turn the ball over, Atlanta has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 19.2 points off turnovers, making them the top team in the league for that category.
As for their opponent, Washington has a SU record of 34-35 and an ATS record of 35-33-1. Washington performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning an 8-2 record.
Atlanta beat Washington in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record to 7-3 over the Wizards in their last 10 meetings. With a 6-3-1 record, the Hawks also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Atl
Notes
Atlanta’s offense and Washington’s defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Atlanta scores 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 allows 0.0 points per away game on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Hawks are 29-9 on the season. When the Wizards score fewer than 100, they are an abysmal 6-20.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Hawks are just 12-20 this season. Washington is a winning 28-15 when it reaches the century mark.
The Hawks have an offensive rating of 103.5 (ranked 19th). The Wizards rank 15th for their defensive rating of 104.1.
The Washington Wizards average 100.0 possessions per game and 1.029 points per possession. The Atlanta Hawks earn fewer possessions with 99.1, but they score more points with 1.035.
The Atlanta Hawks have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking sixth in the league with an EFF% of 51.7%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Washington Wizards have an underachieving 9-22 record.
The Atlanta Hawks, ranked second in the NBA, average 25.6 assists per game. The Washington Wizards make 23.9 assists (ranked sixth)
The Atlanta Hawks average 5.7 blocks per game for a rank of eighth. The Washington Wizards rank lower (26th), earning 4.0 blocks each game.
Atlanta is ranked 30th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Washington ranks 23rd in defensive rebounds.
The Atlanta Hawks average 9.3 steals per game (ranked third). The Washington Wizards have a losing record of 10-17 when they allow at least 9 steals.
