Nets vs Hawks Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds, Picks & Predictions

Nets Still Working Things Out

The Brooklyn Nets are whole once again for the most part, with guard Kyrie Irving now able to play in every game with the team thanks to relaxed COVID-19 restrictions in New York. But the team has gone 2-3 over its last five, so things still aren’t running smoothly.

Irving has played extremely well, averaging 26.9 points, 5.6 assists and 1.3 steals in the 24 games. He’s upped that production lately, scoring 29.8 points and 6.3 assists in his last six games, though it hasn’t helped the Nets pick up a lot of wins.

Of course, the other big gun for the Nets is forward Kevin Durant, who is scoring 29.6 points per game, which would rank fourth in the league if he’d played enough games this season. Durant has also been hot of late, averaging 32.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.6 assists over the last 10 games.

The biggest improvement for the Nets needs to come on the defensive end. Brooklyn has allowed 117.8 points per game over the last five contests, with only one of those opponents scoring fewer than 119 points.

Do Hawks Have Another Magical Run in Them?

Last season, the Atlanta Hawks were happy to make the postseason after a three-year drought, then advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference finals. This season, the expectation was that same kind of postseason success, but they’ll likely need to survive the play-in tournament to even have a chance at it.

Still, Atlanta is hot, winning four straight and averaging 130.0 points over that streak.

“We’re in a tight race here at the end, and we’re starting to click at the right time,” Hawks guard Trae Young said after Thursday’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. “We did the same thing last year, and we were able to make a run.”

As always, Young is the main reason for the Hawks’ successful run, averaging 28.9 points and 11.3 assists over his last nine games. Young is fifth in the league in scoring at 28.2 points per game and third with 9.6 assists per contest.

While forward John Collins remains sidelined with foot and finger injuries, others are stepping up with their scoring. Guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is averaging 19.7 points over his last nine games, hitting 40.8% from 3-point range.

Guard Kevin Huerter has been red-hot over the last four games, hitting 20-of-33 from beyond the arc and averaging 21.2 points.

Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks Head-to-Head

The Brooklyn Nets are going for the three-game season series sweep of the Atlanta Hawks in this one. Brooklyn topped the Hawks in Atlanta back in December in the last matchup between the two teams, though that was when the team still had James Harden in its lineup as well.

The Nets have won three straight overall from the Hawks, with Atlanta winning just twice in the last 14 matchups. That kind of dominance is likely why the NBA lines give the slight edge to the visitors in this one.

Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks Game Information

• Game: Brooklyn Nets (40-37) at Atlanta Hawks (40-37)
• Location: State Farm Arena
• Day/Time: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Live Stream: NBA League Pass 

Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks Betting Lines

Brooklyn Nets at Atlanta Hawks Prediction

The Brooklyn Nets are still trying to put things together and will be a tough out in the play-in tournament, but the Atlanta Hawks are rolling right now. Young should be able to get his shooters involved in this one as the home team wins a shootout.

When making your NBA picks, take Atlanta to get the win at home.

Pick: Atlanta Hawks +2 (-110)