After a week off waiting for their next opponent, the No. 5 Washington Wizards (4-0 SU, 4-0 ATS) visit the No. 1 Atlanta Hawks (4-2 SU, 2-4 ATS) in the first game of an Eastern Conference semifinal Sunday.
You can watch the game live on ABC.
It’ll be a full week between games for the Washington Wizards after embarrassing the Toronto Raptors in a first-round sweep. The Wizards limped into the postseason with three regular season losses to Toronto but handled them rather easily. The Wiz had difficulties with Atlanta during the regular season dropping three of four but, as we know, what happened during the regular season means nothing when the playoffs roll around.
The Hawks played Friday the way most everyone expected them to in their first round series. A dominating performance that reminded us all why Atlanta is the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference took down the pesky Nets 111-87 to claim the series in six games and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinal to face the well-rested Wizards. Atlanta won three of four from their Southeast Division rival losing a game in the final week of the regular season when regulars played limited minutes. Atlanta was 3-0-1 ATS in the season series with all four games cashing the over.
KEY INJURY
Atlanta’s Jeff Teague turned his ankle in Game Four and Al Horford dislocated his pinkie in Game One but neither missed any time during the Hawks’ first round series. The Wizards had a week off and no injuries are listed.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“I don’t know if anybody really picked us to beat Toronto in this series, especially without homecourt advantage. So to go out there and not only be the underdog but to sweep them, I think it does send a message that, ‘Hey, you can’t take Washington lightly.’” – Wizards forward Paul Pierce
BETTING TRENDS
- Washington is 9-1-2 ATS in its last 12 games overall.
- Atlanta is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 home games.
- The OVER is 7-2 in Washington’s last nine games overall.
KEY STATS
20: Hawks guard DeMarre Carroll scored 20 points Friday, his fourth straight game with at least that many and the first Atlanta player to do that since Jamal Crawford in 2011.
17.3: Wizards center Marcin Gortat averaged 17.3 points against Toronto in the first round, five points better than his season average, and missed only 10 field goals in four games.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
At least the Wizards can’t use fatigue as an excuse in this one. Led by Paul Pierce, Washington played head games with the Raptors just as successfully as they worked them on the court in what was a seemingly easy first-round sweep. It happened so quickly the Wizards haven’t played in a full week, which is good for the bumps and bruises of a rigorous season but could be damaging to their rhythm and momentum from the opening series. The Wizards guard tandem of John Wall and Bradley Beal were brilliant against Toronto and will be a handful for the Hawks in-your-face defensive schemes.
The Hawks secured the top-seed in the Eastern Conference with about a month to go in the regular season and put the dial on cruise control. Coach Mike Budenholzer used the early clinching to rest players and restrict minutes in an attempt to keep his regulars fresh and healthy for a postseason run. A nice strategy in theory but it nearly backfired as the Hawks had their struggles with the eighth-seed Nets in the first round. “We didn’t play that well the first three games. I didn’t think we had our edge. Coming here and losing two kind of woke us,” guard Kyle Korver said, after draining six three-pointers Friday.
The Wizards frustrated Toronto’s backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, rendering them useless and the Raptors simply gave up in the series clincher. Apparently the Hawks chiseled off the rust because they absolutely dominated the second half of Friday’s clincher and looked more like the team that rattled off a 19-game winning streak during year coasting to the division title and top seed in the conference. They rolled the Wizards three times during the season and will take advantage of a stagnant Wizards team.
Atlanta 108, Washington 96
The NBA lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker sportsbook. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live bettingplatform at BookMaker.
Access live bettinglines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live bettingplatform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks square off on Sunday, May 3, 2015, at 1 p.m. ET at Philips Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ABC.
