The Eastern Conference’s top team will be at home when the Atlanta Hawks (59-19) welcome the Charlotte Hornets (33-45) to Philips Arena. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, Apr. 10 and can be seen on SPSO.
The Hawks played well in their last game, barely hanging on to beat the Nets 114-111 on Wednesday. Al Horford was the team’s leading scorer with 24 points on 11-for-20 shooting. The Hornets, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the blowout 92-74 loss against the Raptors on Wednesday. Kemba Walker led the team in scoring with 15 points.
Over the last five games, DeMarre Carroll has taken his game to another level for the Hawks, averaging 17.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.8 three-pointers.
Second-chance opportunities could be few and far between for the Hawks in this one. They rank 30th in the league in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of just 21.4%), while Charlotte is best in the NBA on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 79.4%). Also, the Hornets commit the fewest errors in the NBA (turnover percentage of 11.5%), while the disruptive defense of the Hawks causes the third-most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 15.9%).
The Hornets lead the season series against the Hawks two games to one, including a 115-100 win the last time these two teams met. Gerald Henderson had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 20 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two three-pointers.
The odds for Atlanta and Charlotte are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Hawks come into this game 59-19 Straight Up (SU) and 48-30 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 11-3 SU and 8-6 ATS against divisional opponents. The Hawks are one of the best in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .383 from beyond the arc. Atlanta is one of the most disciplined teams in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.91. 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 95.0 points per home game. Atlanta is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.4 points per game.
In the other locker room, the Hornets have a record of 37-39-2 ATS and 33-45 SU. Against fellow division members, Charlotte has an 8-7 SU and a 9-5-1 ATS record. The Hornets are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fifth in the NBA at 1.82.
In their previous meeting this season, Charlotte beat Atlanta, but the win was not enough to overtake Atlanta in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 3-7 SU over the last 10 meetings. Furthermore, the Hawks hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Atlanta held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers five times, while Charlotte was never able to do so in their most recent 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – ATL, ATS Winner – ATL
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta’s last 6 games.
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
Atlanta is 21-2 SU in its last 23 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Atlanta’s last 15 games when playing Charlotte.
Atlanta is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games when playing Charlotte.
Atlanta is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Charlotte.
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Charlotte’s last 15 games when playing Atlanta.
Charlotte is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Atlanta.
Atlanta scores 102.7 points per game (ranked 11th), but Charlotte typically gives up only 97.0 points per game (ranked fifth).
Atlanta averages 103.4 points per home game (ranked seventh). However, Charlotte has allowed an average of just 97.5 points per away game (ranked fifth).
In its last game, Charlotte lost by an 18-point margin. Atlanta is 10-5 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Charlotte has an 8-13 record in blowouts.
Charlotte is 26-18 when allowing under 100 points this season. The Hawks have a winning 20-11 record, when scoring fewer than 100 points.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Hornets are just 7-27 this season. Atlanta is a superb 39-8 when registering triple digits.
The Hornets have an offensive rating of 97.9 (ranked 28th), while the Hawks rank 10th for their defensive rating of 100.7.
Atlanta has an average field goal percentage of 46.8% (ranked third). Charlotte is an abysmal 4-18 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Atlanta attempts 26.1 three pointers and Charlotte attempts 18.7 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Hawks have an outstanding 37-12 record while the Hornets have a subpar 2-4 record.
The Atlanta Hawks are among the best in the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.91 (ranked third). Ranking fifth, the Charlotte Hornets have an A/TO of 1.82.
The Atlanta Hawks are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league with just 40.6 per game. The Charlotte Hornets average 44.3 rebounds (ranked ninth).
Atlanta is ranked 19th in defensive rebounds, while Charlotte ranks 25th in offensive rebounds.
Atlanta is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.9% (ranked third). Charlotte has a losing record of 3-5 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.9% or greater.
