Suns-Hawks NBA Spread, Over/Under and Prop Bets
The Suns will be shorthanded when they take the floor Thursday night in Atlanta, but they’re the talk of the NBA after their blockbuster deal for Kevin Durant.
Neither Durant, Mikal Bridges or Cam Johnson will suit up against the Hawks as the former is still sidelined with an MCL sprain and the latter two are headed to Brooklyn as part of the trade compensation. T.J. Warren, who was also part of the deal, is out as well. As a result, the line for this contest nearly doubled in favor of the Hawks after the news broke early this morning.
Phoenix is undefeated through three games of its five-game road trip and has won eight of 10. Devin Booker (groin) returned to the lineup for the first time since Christmas for Tuesday’s game against the Nets, but he’s out due to injury management for the front end of a back-to-back. Atlanta returns home after it lost two in a row on the road to fall back below .500 and its injury report is clean.
These teams met just over a week ago in the desert and the Hawks left with a 132-100 victory. Booker was not active for that game, either, though Bridges and Johnson were. Coach Monty Williams will be without two of his best perimeter defenders against the backcourt pairing of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
Phoenix Suns vs. Atlanta Hawks Odds
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Spread: Suns +6.5 (-110) | Hawks -6.5 (-110)
Moneyline: PHX (+225) | ATL (-275)
Total: 228.5 — Over (-110) | Under (-110)
Suns Betting Profile
Straight-Up Record: 30–26
Against The Spread Record: 30–26
Over/Under Record: 27–28–1
Points Per Game (Rank): 112.7 (21)
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank): 111.3 (5)
Hawks Betting Profile
Straight-Up Record: 27–28
Against The Spread Record: 24–30–1
Over/Under Record: 32–23
Points Per Game (Rank): 116.1 (8)
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank): 116.5 (21)
Spread Bet: Hawks -6.5 (-110)
Playing a skeleton Suns team at home is a good draw for the Hawks, who have not played their best basketball over the last few weeks. This is the first time Atlanta has been favored in six games and it lost outright at home to the Hornets the last time it was installed as a favorite this large.
Young and Murray both had productive games in the first meeting as the entire team lit it up from deep to the tune of 19 made three-pointers, 15 more than Phoenix. Bridges led his team with 23 in the game while Chris Paul totaled just three points in 27 minutes. Deandre Ayton had a successful outing with 20 points and nine boards and the Suns will need more of that out of him matched up against Clint Capela.
The Hawks have one of the worst records in the league against the spread as favorites (10–18). Given what the Suns will be missing and the very recent success in this matchup, on the road no less, Atlanta should find success this evening. Keep an eye out for further transactions before the 3 p.m. ET deadline from either team that could affect players’ availability in this matchup.
Over/Under Bet: Over 228.5 (-110)
Atlanta and Phoenix combined for 232 points in the last meeting, which narrowly cashed the over of 231. The Suns had a poor offensive showing and have just reason to further regress from that performance. The Hawks, meanwhile, can and should tee off on Phoenix’s shorthanded defense with Bridges and Johnson on their way out of town. Atlanta ranks fifth in the league in offensive rating over the last 15 games and the over has hit eight times during that stretch.
Defensively, the Hawks have been, and continue to be, a mess, which could potentially allow for the Suns to at least surpass the 100 points they posted in the last meeting. Atlanta games hit the over at one of the highest rates in the NBA this season and Phoenix games do so more than half the time when the team is away.
Prop Bet: Dejounte Murray Over 6.5 Assists (-110)
Murray has flashed his chops as a distributor of late with seven or more assists in six consecutive games. In February, he’s good for 8.3 dimes per game, which includes the eight he dropped in the game against the Suns three games ago and 10 versus the Nuggets two games back. Murray’s season average of 6.3 assists per game is just less than this total and he’s been a stout passer of late. With Phoenix missing some of its top perimeter defenders as a result of the trade, Murray’s playmaking could benefit in this matchup.
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