NBA: Atlanta Hawks vs. Phoenix Suns Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Atlanta Hawks are experiencing massive problems before visiting the Phoenix Suns. The franchise from Georgia posted several pretty pale games in the past few days, winning just once and severely shooking its morale. On the other side, Phoenix is in a good mood, having three straight wins, and using the home-court advantage before hitting the road once again. The West champions have had a bit slower start, but they significantly improved their form in recent times. Due to that, the Suns are massive favorites before tonight’s game.

Preview

Atlanta Hawks (4-5, +170) won only against the Wizards in the recent five contests, and that one was at home. The other four losses came against the Wizards, 76ers, and the Nets, all on the road, and against the Utah Jazz in their most recent game, 116-98.

The Hawks suffered a loss to the Jazz at home, 116-98, and to be honest, they disappointed a lot. Utah might be one of the best teams in the league, but the Hawks had to be better, especially because the rivals played without Donovan Mitchell.

Terrible three-point shooting 7-for-28 and lousy 32 boards were the main reasons the Jazzers left Atlanta with a win. For the first time, we’ve seen the Hawks being inferior on the glass, which is something very rare. Trae had 21 points, DeAndre Hunter 14, and that was pretty much it. Bogi and Cam Reddish combined for 12, which was also a problem.

Phoenix Suns (4-3, -200) didn’t start as planned and we can see that their stats are far below the last year’s. For the moment, the Suns allow more points (108.9) than they score (108.7), and their shooting percentages dropped. But then again, with three wins in a row now, that is rapidly changing.

One by one, the Cavs, Pelicans, and the Rockets fell before the Suns, and even though we all know that these teams aren’t among the top ones in their respective conferences, such stretch needs to be acknowledged.

Devin Booker was finally in his rhythm against the Rockets, scoring 27 points, and leading the way in Phoenix. He had a lot of help because five more players had 10 or more points, with Landry Shamet adding 19 off the bench and Ayton posting a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards. Mikal Bridges also had 16, and Chris Paul scored nine but with 13 assists.

Head to Head Games

In 2021 these two sides met twice, and the hosts were the winners on both occasions. The first game was in Arizona, and the Suns won 117-110, while the Hawks triumphed in Georgia, 135-103.

Preview

With the current situation going on in Atlanta, Phoenix should win this event. Nate McMillan’s boys are in crisis, and we especially stress out Bogdanovic, who is the team’s second player behind Trae, even though many don’t think like that. With Bogi in his usual mode, everything is different, and both backcourt and frontcourt players have more options. The Suns are slowly shifting into a higher gear, and this match is a perfect chance for additional morale-boosting. They play at home against the struggling opponent. Therefore, our pick is Phoenix.

Pick: Suns win