Hawks vs. Thunder Pick
Will the Oklahoma City Thunder avoid another letdown at home when they host the Atlanta Hawks tonight at 8PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Oklahoma City is the clear favorite in this game, as the Thunder are getting odds of -11.5 points against the Hawks. The over/under total for the game is listed at 204 points. The road team has won and covered in two straight meetings between these two, but they have yet to meet this year. Tonight’s game takes place from Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Atlanta is coming off a 105-95 loss at home to Indiana on Wednesday night for its fifth loss in six games. The Hawks are now 7-24 on the season. They have covered in six of their last eight games to move to 16-14-1 against the spread. Atlanta is averaging 103.1 points per game on offense while allowing 108.4 per game on defense. Dennis Schroder is putting up 19.4 points and 6.7 assists per game to lead the team while Tauren Prince averages 13 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Schroder is questionable to play tonight due to an ankle injury.
Oklahoma City has won two straight games, including an impressive 107-79 win over Utah at home on Wednesday. The Thunder are 16-15 overall while going 11-20 against the spread this season. OKC is putting up 102.1 points per game on offense while allowing 99.5 per game on defense. At home, OKC is holding opponents to 96.8 points per game. Russell Westbrook is putting up 23.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game to lead the team while Paul George is adding 19.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.
OKC definitely has more talent, but the Thunder are still struggling to come together with this new roster. They have had rough outings at home in recent stretches, beating the Nuggets by just one and losing by 13 to the Hornets. Despite coming off a big win against the Jazz, I don’t think the Thunder have proven they can do that in back-to-back games. The public betting is slightly with the Hawks and I will take the points tonight as well.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: ATLANTA HAWKS +11.5