The Eastern Conference’s top team will be at home when the Atlanta Hawks (56-19) welcome the Brooklyn Nets (34-40) to Philips Arena. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Saturday, Apr. 4 and can be seen on YES and SPSO.
The Hawks are are hoping for a better outcome after their 105-95 loss to the Pistons on Tuesday. Thabo Sefolosha was the team’s leading scorer with 19 points. The Nets, meanwhile, are coming off a 100-98 win against the Knicks on Wednesday. Deron Williams led the game in scoring by accounting for 26 points on 11-for-21 shooting.
Brook Lopez has been hot over the last five games for the Nets, averaging 25.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.8 blocks.
The Hawks have emerged victorious in both games against the Nets this year, including a 113-102 win the last time these two teams met. Paul Millsap finished with 28 points and 15 rebounds.
The odds for Atlanta and Brooklyn are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Hawks come into this game 56-19 Straight Up (SU) and 45-30 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 35-11 SU and 27-19 ATS against the Eastern Conference. The Hawks are one of the best in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .465 from the field. Atlanta is one of the best passing teams in the league with an average of 25.6 assists per game. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Atlanta’s stingy defense. The Hawks are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 95.5 points per home game. Opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Hawks, who rank fifth in the league in steals per game with 8.9. Atlanta is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.1 points per game.
Over on the other bench, the Nets have a record of 35-37-2 ATS and 34-40 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Brooklyn is 21-24 SU and 20-24-1 ATS. Offensively, the Nets have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 97.7 points per game by averaging 107.2 during that stretch.
With the Hawks’ last win against Brooklyn, their SU record is now 6-4 over the Nets in the last 10 games. With a 6-4 record, the Hawks also have the advantage ATS. In these last 10 matchups, each team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once.
Predictions: SU Winner – ATL, ATS Winner – ATL
Notes
On average, Brooklyn scores 97.7 points per game (ranked 22nd), while Atlanta gives up 97.2 points per game (ranked sixth).
Brooklyn scores an average of 97.6 points per away game (ranked 18th), while Atlanta allows 95.5 points per home game (ranked third).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Atlanta Hawks are a superb 41-4. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Brooklyn Nets have an abysmal record of 9-34.
When Atlanta gives up 100 or more points in a game, the team is an even 15-15 this season. Brooklyn, on the other hand, has a tremendous record (25-6) when it hits triple digits.
The Nets have a defensive rating of 104.3 (ranked 23rd). The Hawks rank sixth for their offensive rating of 106.1.
The Brooklyn Nets average 96.5 possessions per game and 1.013 points per possession. The Atlanta Hawks earn fewer possessions with 96.4, but they score more points with 1.061.
Atlanta is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 52.6% (ranked third in the NBA). Brooklyn is an underachieving 5-20 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Atlanta makes an average of 25.6 assists per game (ranked second), while Brooklyn makes 20.8 assists per game (ranked 22nd).
Atlanta makes an average of 4.7 blocks per game (ranked 14th), while Brooklyn makes 4.2 blocks per game (ranked 25th).
Atlanta is ranked 30th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Brooklyn ranks 16th in defensive rebounds.
The Atlanta Hawks average 8.9 steals per game (ranked fifth). The Brooklyn Nets have a subpar record of 13-24 when they allow at least 8 steals.
