A five-game home winning streak hangs in the balance for the Atlanta Hawks (53-16) when they take on the San Antonio Spurs (43-25). The game starts at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 22 and will air on FSN-SW and SPSO.
The Hawks lost to the Thunder 123-115 on Friday. Pero Antic was the team’s high scorer, contributing 22. The Spurs, meanwhile, are coming off a 101-89 win over the Celtics on Friday. Kawhi Leonard shot 8-for-14 and led in scoring with 22 points.
Tim Duncan has been on a tear over the last five games for the Spurs, averaging 14.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.4 blocks.
Second-chance points might be scarce for Atlanta in this matchup. They rank 30th in the NBA in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 21.3%), while the Spurs are fourth-best in the league on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 77.2%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Spurs won the first game 94-92. Duncan played a big role with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Hawks look to build on their records of 53-16 Straight Up (SU) and 42-27 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 21-7 SU and 18-10 ATS versus the Western Conference. The Hawks are an impressive shooting team from three-point range with a .384 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Few teams in the league have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Atlanta, which ranks third at 1.9. Turning to the defensive side, the Hawks are the fifth-best team in the league at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 8.9 steals per game. Something to watch out for is if Atlanta can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 18.3 points off turnovers per game.
On the other side, the Spurs head into the game with records of 31-35-2 ATS and 43-25 SU. Most recently, San Antonio is 7-3 ATS over the last 10 games. San Antonio has been playing better lately, averaging 112.9 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 102.4. The Spurs are a top-five team in the league at finding the open man with an average of 24.2 assists per game.
Following the Spurs’ latest win over Atlanta, their SU record against the Hawks moves to 9-1 over the last 10 meetings. Additionally, the Spurs lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. San Antonio held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last 10, while Atlanta wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA, ATS Winner – SA
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 7 games.
Atlanta is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games.
Atlanta is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta’s last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 7 games when playing San Antonio.
Atlanta is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio.
Atlanta is 8-15 ATS in its last 23 games when playing San Antonio.
Atlanta is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against San Antonio.
Atlanta scores an average of 102.7 points per game (ranked 10th), while San Antonio allows 97.9 points per game (ranked ninth).
Atlanta ranks eighth in the league with 103.3 points per home game. San Antonio gives up just 96.3 points per away game (ranked third).
Atlanta has a dazzling 38-4 record when it gives up under 100 points this season. San Antonio is 13-17 when it puts up under 100.
Atlanta is 15-12 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Spurs have an exceptional 30-8 record when they hit the century mark.
Atlanta’s offense and San Antonio’s defense both rank sixth this season. Atlanta has an offensive rating of 106.3 and San Antonio has a defensive rating of 100.2.
The San Antonio Spurs average 97.7 possessions per game and 1.048 points per possession. The Atlanta Hawks earn fewer possessions with 96.7, but they score more points with 1.063.
The Atlanta Hawks have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the league with an EFF% of 52.7%. When their opponents have a similar or higher EFF%, the San Antonio Spurs are 10-8.
Atlanta ranks near the top of the league in assists at second (25.4 assists per game). San Antonio is ranked fifth, with 24.2 assists per game.
Atlanta makes an average of 4.7 blocks per game (ranked 12th). San Antonio ranks higher in blocks with 5.5 (ranked seventh).
Atlanta is ranked 30th when it comes to offensive rebounding. San Antonio ranks seventh in defensive rebounds.
The Atlanta Hawks earn an average of 8.9 steals per game and are ranked fifth. The San Antonio Spurs have a 16-17 record when they allow at least 8 steals.
