The Atlanta Hawks are visiting AT&T Center to face off with Greg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. With that said, it’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Hawks-Spurs prediction and pick.
The Hawks are currently on a two-game losing streak as they fall to the seventh seed in the eastern conference and drop to a record below .500 of 23-24. Meanwhile, the Spurs are coming off a big win against the Sacramento Kings and are holding the eighth seed in the western conference with a record of 24-21.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Hawks-Spurs odds.
NBA Odds: Hawks-Spurs Odds
Atlanta Hawks +1 (-112)
San Antonio Spurs -1 (-108)
Over 220.5 Points (-110)
Under 220.5 Points(-110)
Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread
Despite their recent struggles, the Hawks have been playing better basketball as of late under their new coach Nate McMillan winning six of their last ten games.
Under McMillan, the Hawks have improved to the eleventh best offensive rating in the NBA with Trae Young leading the way with 25.4 points, 9.5 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 43.2 percent from the field.
The Hawks have had players injured throughout the season and have not gotten a chance to really play with their full roster. McMillan is currently missing some talented young pieces due to injury in Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter, and John Collins that play with intensity on both ends of the floor.
This Atlanta team is still waiting to welcome back home Lou Williams who the team recently traded for from the Los Angeles Clippers.
With so many missing pieces, the Hawks will have a difficult time against a very solid offensive and defensive team in the Spurs on Thursday.
The main concern for this Atlanta team will be trying to slow down and contain the Spurs’ stars in Dejounte Murray and DeMar DeRozan. In addition, this Hawks team will need to find other players like Bogdanovic, Huerter, and Gallinari to support Trae on the offensive end of the floor if they want to cover the spread against the Spurs.
Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread
The Spurs are coming off a huge game against the Kings behind a huge performance from DeRozan and the rest of the Spurs’ squad.
Greg Popovich had seven players score in double digits to no one’s surprise as the Spurs are a well-balanced and solid team overall. Most notably, DeRozan leads the way to victory against the Kings with 26 points, seven assists, and five rebounds.
The offense for the Spurs should not be a problem tonight against a terrible defensive team in the Hawks who hold the eighth worse defensive rating in the league. Conversely, the Spurs have the tenth best defensive rating in the league.
Ultimately this San Antonio team should cover the spread against the Hawks on Thursday if they are able to prevent any sort of rhythm for Trae Young who controls the offense for this Atlanta team.
Final Hawks-Spurs Prediction & Pick
The Hawks are without some key players against the Spurs but most notably John Collins. The offense will run completely through Young and seeing that Popovich’s squad is a solid defensive team, the Hawks may have a tough time on the offensive end of the floor. On the flip side, the Hawks are not a great defensive team and so DeRozan and Murray should have their way against this Atlanta team on Thursday. Barring a huge game from Young, the Spur should win their second straight game on Thursday.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR HAWKS-SPURS: ATL 110, SAS 118 (SAS -1)
