Hawks vs. Thunder Preview
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (AP) – The Atlanta Hawks have been dominant at home this month, but they’ve been far less spectacular on the road.
Looking to improve their still-respectable away record, the Hawks open a four-game trip against teams from the Western Conference when they meet the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
Atlanta (21-13) won its ninth straight home game Wednesday, 103-93 over Golden State. The winning streak comes after the Hawks opened the season by losing five of their first eight in Atlanta.
According to NBA odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Thunder -5 point spread favorites for Friday’s game against the Hawks. Current NBA Public Betting Information shows that 63X% of more than 332 bets for this game have been placed on the Thunder -5.
On the road, it’s been the opposite problem. After a strong start, the Hawks have lost six of eight, although they are still 9-8 away from home.
Atlanta will have the next week to fix its road problems. The trip ends Wednesday against Utah after visits to the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings. The Hawks have split their 10 games against the West.
They scored 100 points for the first time in 11 games Wednesday while shooting 51.2 percent. Al Horford had 21 points and 15 rebounds, Josh Smith added 22 points and 10 boards, and Joe Johnson had 16 points to pass Lenny Wilkens for 10th place on the Hawks’ franchise scoring list. He also had eight of Atlanta’s 31 assists.
The Hawks are averaging 94.4 points on the road, 85.3 in eight games this month.
“We’re starting to get a rhythm at home and now that we’re getting ready to go on the road, we’ve got to get back to that road mentality of how to win,” coach Larry Drew said. “I think our guys are ready to respond.”
Marvin Williams may not be available after leaving Wednesday’s game in the third quarter with an injured back. The Hawks said he is day to day.
The Thunder (22-11) are trying to end the month with back-to-back victories after alternating wins and losses the last six games following a five-game winning streak. They are coming off a 114-93 victory over New Jersey on Wednesday.
Oklahoma City forced a season-high 23 turnovers and had a season-best 31 assists on 45 baskets. Kevin Durant scored 27 points before sitting out the fourth quarter, while Russell Westbrook added 17 points and seven assists through the first three periods.
“Our hands were very active tonight,” coach Scott Brooks said. “Our defense was pretty solid and we were causing turnovers. Some was they just turned the ball over but a lot of them was because we were active with our hands and we got a lot of deflections and steals and that’s what we have to continue to do.
“We just have to continue to get better and improve every day.”
The Thunder, who are 10-4 against the East, are looking to be more consistent at home. They’ve split their last four games in Oklahoma City and are closing a four-game homestand before opening a three-game trip Saturday against San Antonio.
Durant has averaged 33.0 points during the homestand, the same number he posted in a 106-99 home win over Atlanta on Feb. 2. The Thunder swept the Hawks last season after losing the previous three matchups.
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