NBA: San Antonio Spurs vs. Atlanta Hawks, Preview, Odds, Prediction

Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks meet the San Antonio Spurs at their StateFarm Arena. There isn’t too much time left for the Hawks to improve their form and make a pursuit for the playoffs. The franchise from Georgia was quiet during the trade deadline, not performing any trades, and meaning that the management has full trust in the current roster. On the other side, the Spurs can reach the play-in tournament, but this team is pretty limited when looking overall.

Preview

San Antonio Spurs (20-35, +280) lost four of the past five games. After suffering defeats to the Suns, Warriors and the Heat, Pop’s unit took down the Houston Rockets and then lost to the Cavaliers in the most recent clash. The result of that one was 105-92 for the Cavs.

Poor shooting percentage was the main reason for San Antonio’s failure. The Spurs were shooting 38.4% from the field, and had only eight hit threes in 33 attempts. They weren’t aggressive enough, and as a result, had a miserable 11 free throws, more than twice as few as the hosts.

Keldon Johnson and Devinn Vassell scored 18 points each, which was a team-high. Derrick White had 17 points, while Dejuonte Muray added 16 with nine assists and six boards. We need to mention that White ended up in Boston following a trade that brought Josh Richardson to San Antonio.

Atlanta Hawks (26-28, -400) have two wins and three defeats in the previous five games. They’ve lost vs. Raptors at home then beat the Suns, ending their 11-game winning streak, before posting back-to-back losses on the road in Toronto and Dallas. However, the Hawks bounced back against the Pacers, beating them 133-112.

We saw Trae and the boys smashing the Pacers 40-22 in the opening period, and continuing to play at a high level in the second quarter, 36-28. They were superb from downtown, having hit 17 threes in 33 attempts, and overall, the Hawks shot 57.8% from the field.

Trae Young had 34 points and 11 assists, 6-for-9 for three, and 13-for-20 from the field. John Collins had 20 points in 21 minutes, while Onyeka Okongwu added 14, not missing a single shot. Bogdanovic dropped 13 and Kevin Huerter one point fewer.

Head to Head Games

We saw one direct matchup between these sides in the 2021/22 campaign, which took place in San Antonio. The guests were better 124-106, not having any particular problems of beating the rivals. Trae had 31 points and 11 assists. Meanwhile, Bryn Forbes scored 23 for the Spurs.

Prediction

The Spurs will lack one starter after White’s departure, and it is doubtful for Richardson and Langford to appear on such short notice. But even with them involved here, our money would be on the Hawks, who are a far better team. The spread the hosts need to cover is seven points, and we believe that they have the capability of doing the same. There are several matchups that will provide Atlanta a huge edge, so why not use that. Trae and Collins won’t have a worthy guards, so you might pick them for some prop pick.

Pick: Hawks -7

Here is the preview for OKC Thunder vs Philadelphia 76ers game.