The No. 1 Atlanta Hawks (2-1 SU, 0-3 ATS) look to rebound from a poor outing and take a 3-1 series lead over the No. 8 Brooklyn Nets (1-2 SU, 3-0 ATS) when the teams meet Monday. You can watch the game live on NBA TV.
The Atlanta Hawks hardly resembled the team that rolled through the regular season and are on the verge of having their series with the No. 8 seed Nets tied up if they play another lackluster game. The last thing the Hawks wanted to do was give the Nets a shot of hope but they did. Now they can just as easily take that back with a win Monday.
The Brooklyn Nets came out with a purpose Saturday and ensured that their first-round playoff series would make it to at least five games with a 91-83 win, their first over the Hawks in seven tries this season. Knowing the odds of coming back from a 3-0 deficit were stacked against them the Nets played with desperation to get the win and have a chance to even the series Monday.
KEY INJURY
Brooklyn guard Deron Williams sat the final 16 minutes of Saturday’s win with what the club reported as a back injury. He went to the bench just prior to a pivotal 18-0 Nets run and stayed there the rest of the game. He is listed as questionable for Monday’s game.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“Even the two games that we won, I felt like we didn’t shoot the best as a team. We need to figure out ways offensively to get easier baskets. From the beginning of the game, I felt like they had more of an edge than we did.” – Hawks forward Al Horford
BETTING TRENDS
- Atlanta is 0-5-1 ATS in its last six games overall.
- Brooklyn is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 home games.
- The UNDER is 7-2 in Brooklyn’s last nine games overall.
KEY STATS
18: The Nets used a pivotal 18-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters in Saturday’s win to seize control of the game for their first win over Atlanta this season.
83: Atlanta’s point total in Saturday’s loss was its lowest since Feb. 20 and the first time the Hawks failed to score at least 96 against Brooklyn this season.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Hawks need to rediscover the offensive style that led them to the Eastern Conference’s top seed or they could find themselves in a battle just to escape the first round. Atlanta’s efficient level of play has been absent in the series with the Hawks averaging only 92.7 points on 39 percent shooting in three games after scoring 102.5 points during the regular season. The shooting woes extended through the entire lineup with point guard Jeff Teague especially struggling. He made only four of 13 shots Saturday and his assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.36 is well below his season average of 2.50.
The Nets aren’t going down without a fight. With their season nearing the brink, the Nets jumped out to an early lead and controlled the play throughout to get their first win of the series. Brooklyn has a chance to even things up which is something no one outside of the Nets organization believed just last week when the Nets limped into the playoffs against the top seeded Hawks. Buoyed by encouraging efforts in the first two games of the series the Nets were able to break through Saturday and are a confident group, “I think we knew we could beat this team,” forward Joe Johnson said.
The Hawks are certainly not playing like the top-seeded team in the East that won a franchise record 60 games. And the Nets aren’t playing like a No. 8 seed that was given little chance of winning the series let alone a game. Well the Nets got a game and now the series doesn’t look so insurmountable. But the Hawks are No. 1 in the East for a reason – they’re able to bounce back from poor performances. They will Monday.
Atlanta 102, Brooklyn 94
The NBA odds for this game will first open at BookMaker sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next half. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker sportsbook! The game between the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets is set for Wednesday, April 1, 2014, at 7 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center. You can watch the game live on NBA TV.
