NBA Odds: Hawks-Suns prediction, pick, how to watch
The Phoenix Suns host the Atlanta Hawks for a rare meeting in the desert! it’s time to continue our NBA odds series with a Hawks-Suns prediction and pick.
The Hawks ended January losing four of their last five games, their only victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are now hitting the road for another road trip against four strong Western Conference teams. Without Trae Young, ATL struggled against the Portland Trail Blazers losing 129-125 as they nearly completed the comeback. The Hawks are back below .500 with a record of (25-26).
The Suns are finally putting something together, winning six of their last seven games in January. They are coming off a win over the Toronto Raptors 114-106 as Mikal Bridges scored 29 on 12/19 shooting. The team tries to slip up and maintain a solid seed in the West until Devin Booker returns.
Here are the Hawks-Suns NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Hawks-Suns Odds
Atlanta Hawks: +1 (-108)
Phoenix Suns: -1 (-112)
Over: 231.5 (-110)
Minus: 231.5 (-110)
How to watch Hawks vs. Suns
Television: ESPN, Bally Sports Arizona, Bally Sports Southeast
Stream: ESPN APP
Time: 10:00 a.m. ET/ 7:00 a.m. PT
*Watch LIVE NBA games with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Why the Hawks could cover the spread
The Hawks have a chance to cover that spread with news that Trae Young is likely to return. He’s likely for tonight and is the only one on the injury report. In his absence, the Hawks battled Damian Lillard and the Blazers but were unsuccessful. Dejounte Murray scored 40 in the loss and Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 23 from the bench. If it hadn’t been for a Simons three with 34 seconds left, the Hawks might have escaped the Northwest with a win.
Young is averaging 27.2 points per game this season with 9.9 assists. He’s second in the NBA behind Tyrese Haliburton in assists per game, but is desperate to figure out his three-point shot. If he doesn’t improve on his 31.6 percent, the Hawks won’t make a fuss about the rest. After Murray’s 40-point performance, he increased his PPG to 21.2 and also has 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists this season. Coming off the bench, Bogdanovic is averaging 15.4 points with 3.1 assists.
ATL is (22-28-1) against the spread.
Why the suns might cover the spread
The Suns are missing a few key players tonight, but they’ve shown in recent games they can still win. Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet and Jae Crowder continue to sit out but Josh Okogie is available after fracturing his nose. In Bookers’ absence, Bridges, DeAndre Ayton and Chris Paul continued to play elite basketball. Booker tweeted earlier on Wednesday, giving an indication that he could return sooner rather than later. I doubt he plays tonight, but he could be available against the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
The All-Star is clearly a big part of this team’s success and they’ll be looking forward to seeing him back on the court. It’s hard to fill the void of a 27-PPG player. However, Mr. Reliable Mikal Bridges has started every game of the season. He’s now averaging 16.8 points and has 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game to go with it. He and CP3 lead the team in steals, but Paul is slightly higher at 1.4 per game. DeAndre Ayton has been playing great basketball lately, scoring over 22 points in his last two games and shooting over 50% from the floor.
Phoenix is (28-24) ATS.
Hawks-Suns final prediction and selection
With Young back on the court, I think the Hawks are making for a very entertaining game on ESPN tonight. However, I expect the Suns to cover the 1 point gap with a home win.
Final Hawks-Suns prediction and selection: Suns -1 (-112); More than 231.5 (-110)