The Golden State Warriors (53-5) welcome the Atlanta Hawks (33-27) in a matchup that pits the first-ranked offense against the third-ranked defense. The game begins at 10:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 1 and can be seen on NBA, FxS and GS2.
The Warriors edged the Thunder 121-118 on Saturday. Stephen Curry was the game’s high scorer with 46 points on 14-for-24 shooting. The Hawks, meanwhile, are coming off an 87-76 win over the Hornets on Sunday. Kent Bazemore shot 6-for-8 and led in scoring with 14 points.
Klay Thompson and Curry have been better than usual over the last five games for the Warriors. During that stretch, Thompson has averaged 26.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.4 steals, and 3.2 three-pointers, while Curry has recorded 39.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.8 steals, and 7.2 three-pointers a game. Al Horford has been hot for the Hawks. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 17.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 3.0 blocks, and 1.2 three-pointers.
This battle pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Golden State currently ranks first in the NBA in offensive efficiency and Atlanta is third in defensive efficiency.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the first matchup 102-92. Curry was the game’s top overall scorer with 36 points.
The Warriors come into this game 53-5 Straight Up (SU) and 31-24-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 53-5 SU and 31-24-3 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Golden State has averaged 104.5 points per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 115.4. The Warriors are a dangerous three-point shooting team with an NBA-best 748 made (12.0 per game). The Warriors have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the fourth-ranked rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 46.3 per game, while the Hawks rank 27th in the league with 41.6 per game. Few teams in the league have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Golden State, which ranks second at 1.93. As for the Golden State defense, teams really have to fight for open three-pointers against the Warriors, who have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the league at .324.
Across the court, the Hawks head into the game with records of 28-30-2 ATS and 33-27 SU. Against the Western Conference, Atlanta is 33-27 SU and 28-30-2 ATS. The Hawks have shown improvement on the offensive end over the most recent 10 game stretch. Over that span, Atlanta is averaging 117.6 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 102.2. The Hawks average 99.7 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 112.8 points per game during that span. Atlanta is the best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 19.3 per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Golden State beat Atlanta, bringing its SU record to 7-3 over the Hawks in the last 10 games. Furthermore, the Warriors lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS
Notes
On average, Atlanta scores 102.2 points per game (ranked 14th). Golden State ranks 22nd in points allowed per game with 104.1.
Atlanta ranks 12th in points per away game with 101.3 points, while Golden State ranks eighth in points allowed at home with 98.9.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Atlanta Hawks are a solid 22-9. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Golden State Warriors have a losing record of 1-3.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Hawks are just 11-18 this season. Golden State is an outstanding 52-2 when registering triple digits.
The Hawks have an offensive rating of 103.1 (ranked 20th), while the Warriors rank fifth for their defensive rating of 100.6.
Atlanta has an average field goal percentage of 45.8%, eighth-ranked in the NBA. Golden State is a superb 16-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Golden State Warriors attempt 30.0 three point field goals per game and the Atlanta Hawks attempt 27.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Golden State has a superb 48-4 record, while Atlanta is 16-22.
The Golden State Warriors are among the best in the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.93 (ranked second). Ranking eighth, the Atlanta Hawks have an A/TO of 1.73.
The Golden State Warriors rank 19th in offensive rebounding, while the Atlanta Hawks rank 17th in defensive rebounding.
The Atlanta Hawks rank first in steals, with an average of .0 per game. When the Golden State Warriors allow at least steals, they have an exceptional 53-5 record.
