The Spurs are looking for the third consecutive home win, while the Hawks are hoping to snap the three-game losing streak on the road. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Atlanta Hawks at San Antonio Spurs
Spread: San Antonio Spurs -9.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 203.5 points (-115/-105)
The Hawks are searching for the first win at San Antonio in this millennium
The Atlanta Hawks lost four out of the previous five matches, and they are the worst team in the Eastern Conference at the moment with the 3-13 record, and the second-worst in the entire NBA as only the Dallas Mavericks have the poorer record with 3-14. Atlanta suffered three straight defeats on the road and will have a mountain to climb to get a victory at AT&T Center, where they traditionally don’t play well.
The Hawks entered the game against the Boston Celtics on a high note and won the opening quarter by 15 points, but a miserable display after the interval and 49 points in opposite to Boston’s 66 pretty much sealed their fate on this one, so they lost 99:110. Despite a solid 47.4% from the field, Atlanta failed to contain the visitors in the second half and ended the tilt with six rebounds fewer than the Celtics (35-41), while they had just one block. Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 23 points, nine assists, and team-high two steals, Kent Bazemore added 19 points, four dimes, and a couple of thefts, while the rookie John Collins posted a career-high 18 points, along with seven boards. Taurean Prince contributed with 14 points and five rebounds, while Luke Babbitt scored 11, but wasn’t accurate from the field as he made four out of 12 attempts, (3-9 3PT). Marco Belinelli disappointed with just four points and as he made only two shots on ten attempts. Belinelli should bounce back on Monday against the former team, but the Spurs are playing defense on a high level, and it will be interesting to see how the Italian will cope with San Antonio’s second unit. The German international Schroder is definitely a player to watch for the visitors as he is the evident leader of this team and could be on the way to score 20+ points here in a matchup with Patty Mills. Bazemore’s duel with Danny Green is also an intriguing one, while I expect Dewayne Dedmon and John Collins to struggle against the Spurs’ frontcourt.
Mike Budenholzer is happy to have Mike Muscala and DeAndre’ Bembry back into contention after the pair recovered from an ankle and wrist injuries, respectively. Luke Babbitt, who is dealing with back issues is also listed as probable for this clash, but Isaiah Taylor will be out for the next week or two due to a retinal tear. Atlanta recalled the center Miles Plumlee from the G-League as he returned to full strength following a quad injury that kept him sidelined this season. The Hawks are scoring 103.88 points per contest on average (19th in the NBA), while they are allowing 108.50 points in return (24th in the NBA). Atlanta is among the best teams in the league (2nd) when it comes to three-point shooting (39.95%), while the defense allows 34.91% from beyond the arc to the rivals, which is good enough for the ninth position in the NBA.
Place: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Date/Time: Monday, November 20th, 2017, 8:30 PM ET
TV Coverage: FSSW, FOX SPORTS SOUTHEAST
The Spurs are looking for the second straight and third in a row at home
The San Antonio Spurs bounced back after a defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 104:101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder at AT&T Center, so they are now in the fourth position in the Western Conference with the 10-6 record. Although the Spurs haven’t impressed in this campaign, they will likely improve in the next few weeks, and this tilt is a perfect chance for them to secure another win against one of the weakest teams in the league.
San Antonio lost the opening period to the Thunder by 17 points, but responded magnificently and won the remaining three quarters to get a vital win against one of the title contenders. San Antonio was excellent from the perimeter, making 14 out of 35 attempts (40%), while 22 points from the free-throw line in opposite to Oklahoma’s 14 helped to record a victory. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 26 points and nine rebounds, Danny Green had 17 points, six boards, four assists, game-high four thefts, and two blocks, while Pau Gasol chipped in with 14 points, eight rebounds, four dishes, and a pair of rejections. Kyle Anderson added ten points and six dimes, but point guards Patty Mills and Dejounte Murray struggled as they combined for miserable eight points (3-15 FG). It seems that the Spurs are quite thin in the backcourt with Tony Parker sidelined, but a couple of guards could recover in this matchup with Atlanta. Aldridge should own the floor against the weak Atlanta’s frontcourt, and I expect him and Gasol to dominate the paint on this one.
Gregg Popovich is still without a veteran point guard Parker who didn’t participate this season, but the recent reports suggest that the Frenchman could be back later this month as he is recovering from a quad injury. However, the Spurs’ MVP Kawhi Leonard is still in a rehabilitation process with his quad injury, and we shouldn’t expect him back before December. The Spurs are scoring 101.62 points per contest on average (24th in the NBA), while they are allowing 99.06 points in return (4th in the NBA). San Antonio is among the top ten teams in the league (7th) when it comes to rebounding (45.59), and the defense allows 41.56 boards to the opponents, which is the fifth-best record in the NBA.
Atlanta Hawks at San Antonio Spurs Trends & Prediction
The Hawks are 7-8-1 against the spread (4-5-1 away), while they are 9-6-1 on over/under (4-5-1 away), and although I am not sure whether this one will be the high-scoring affair, given that San Antonio has a fantastic defense, playing the hosts on spread should be a smart decision.
The Spurs are 8-8 against the spread (7-2 home), while they are 7-9 on over/under (5-4 home), so it is clear that playing on the hosts is a better option than playing on points, so I am suggesting you go with San Antonio here.
My Pick: San Antonio Spurs -9.5 (-110)
Total: Pass
