The Atlanta Hawks (11-7) and their fourth-ranked offense visit San Antonio (13-3) to take on the Spurs and their first-ranked defense. Action begins at 8:30 pm ET on Saturday, Nov. 28 and can be seen on FxS and FSW.
The Spurs enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Nuggets 91-80 on Friday. Kawhi Leonard was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points on 11-for-18 shooting. The Hawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 116-101 win against the Grizzlies on Friday. Paul Millsap claimed his ninth double-double of the season with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
Millsap has been hot over the last five games for the Hawks, averaging 21.4 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks.
The Spurs may have trouble getting to the line in this one. They’re 30th in the NBA in free throw attempt rate (21.0), while Atlanta is among the NBA’s least foul-prone squads (yielding a free throw attempt rate of just 22.0, second in the NBA). Also, the Hawks’s fourth-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 105.2) will face off against the first-ranked defense of the Spurs (defensive efficiency of 93.5).
This one isn’t expected to be close when the Spurs, a big eight-point favorite, take on the Hawks. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 198 points for this matchup. The Spurs come into this game 13-3 Straight Up (SU) and 10-6 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS against the Eastern Conference. The Spurs are one of the best in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .472 from the field. San Antonio is one of the best passing teams in the league with an average of 24.9 assists per game.
As for their opponent, the Hawks have a record of 8-9-1 ATS and 11-7 SU. Atlanta has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record. The Hawks convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking third in the league at .807. The Hawks are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking third in the NBA at 1.77. Atlanta is the best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 20.9 per game.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these two. Their previous game was a Spurs victory, bumping their SU record to 9-1 over the Hawks in their last 10 meetings. Furthermore, the Spurs hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA, ATS Winner – Atl, O/U – Under
Notes
San Antonio is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Antonio’s last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Antonio’s last 6 games at home.
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Antonio’s last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta.
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta.
San Antonio ranks 20th in points per game with 98.9, while Atlanta ranks 13th in points allowed with an average of 99.8 given up.
San Antonio ranks 23rd in points per home game with 98.5 points, while Atlanta ranks 12th in points allowed on the road with 100.6.
San Antonio has a perfect 12-0 record when opponents score fewer than 100 points. The Hawks do not fare well when they score under 100, earning a 3-6 record in such games.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Spurs are just 1-3 this season. Atlanta is a dazzling 8-1 when it hits the century mark.
The Hawks have a defensive rating of 101.5 (ranked 16th). The Spurs rank eighth for their offensive rating of 103.2.
Atlanta beats San Antonio in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Hawks average 97.8 possessions and 1.052 points per possession, while the Spurs average 95.8 possessions with 1.032 points per possession.
The San Antonio Spurs have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fifth in the league with an EFF% of 51.5%. The Atlanta Hawks have split their games 3-3 when opponents record a similar or higher EFF%.
The Atlanta Hawks, ranked second in the NBA, average 25.5 assists per game. The San Antonio Spurs make 24.9 assists (ranked third).
With 6.3 blocks per game, the San Antonio Spurs rank fifth in the league. The Atlanta Hawks are in the top half of NBA teams for blocking, ranking 14th with 5.2 blocks per game.
San Antonio is ranked 26th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Atlanta ranks 25th in defensive rebounds.
Making 9.3 steals per game, Atlanta is ranked fifth in the NBA. San Antonio has a winning 4-1 record when it allows at least 9 steals.
