Hawks vs Jazz: Spread and Score Predictions
Atlanta is back in action tonight on the road vs Utah and for the second straight game, the Hawks are going to be a favorite on the road. They will be hoping that it turns out better than Wednesday night however when the Blazers overcame a 16-point defecit and defeated the Hawks. Not only was Portland as short-handed as the Hawks, but so is Utah. The Jazz are going to be without Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, and Kris Dunn tonight, while Atlanta might be getting Jalen Johnson back.
The Hawks's offensive numbers look pretty good, but they have been struggling without Trae Young.
Bogdan Bogdanovic has not played well since Young went down with an injury and that continued Wednesday night. Bogdanovic shot 3-15 from the field and 2-9 from three. He is the second-best offensive player on Atlanta and when he shoots like that, it is going to be tough for the Hawks to be competitive.
It wasn't just Bogdanovic though. De'Andre Hunter was 4-12, and Vit Krejci and Wesley Matthews combined for 10 points. Until Young and Jalen Johnson return, Atlanta is going to have to have guys step up and not make Murray have to shoot nearly 30 times just to have a functional offense. That is why it is important if Johnson returns tonight.
Krejci has not been contributing much in terms of scoring or rebounding, but he has flashed his ability to hit catch and shoot threes on Wednesday.
If both Johnson and Bogdanovic play, the rotation will likely see Trent Forrest, Bruno Fernando, and Garrison Matthews come off the bench. The Hawks need more from their bench in this game.
Coming into this game, Atlanta ranks 5th in PPG, 23rd in field goal percentage, 7th in three-point attempts, 19th in three-point percentage, 5th in free throw attempts, 1st in offensive rebounding, and 15th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 9th in points per 100 possessions, 20th in effective field goal percentage, 11th in turnover percentage, 5th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 9th in free throw rate.
f they were healthy, Utah's offense could present challenges for the Hawks, but they are not healthy. The Jazz are going to be without Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, and Kris Dunn and even with those guys, Utah could not score 100 points in the last game.
Utah is 9th in PPG, 19th in field goal percentage, 10th in three-point attempts, 18th in three-point percentage, 3rd in offensive rebounding, and 29th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Utah is 16th in points per 100 possessions, 15th in effective field goal percentage, 28th in turnover percentage, 2nd in offensive rebounding, and 11th in free throw rate.
Keyonte George and Collins Sexton are the guys that can cause the Hawks problems tonight. On Wednesday, Portland had Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton, two players capable of taking over a game vs the Hawks and they both went over 30 points, while nobody else on the Blazers did much in the way of scoring. I don't know if Sexton or George could both go over 30 points, but they can get hot and have big scoring nights.
Viewing and Betting Information
Tip-off time: 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, NBA TV
Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be favorites on the road tonight, as they are currently 2.5 point favorites and the over/under is at 223.5 according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook
Prediction
The Hawks won the first matchup handily and they were without Trae Young in that game. Now the Jazz are without Markkanen and Clarkson and the Hawks might be getting Johnson back tonight. Winning on the road is hard, but if the Hawks can get more support on offense around Murray, I like their chances against the Jazz.
Final Score: Atlanta 113, Utah 107
