The No. 1 Atlanta Hawks (3-2 SU, 1-4 ATS) have a chance to eliminate the pesky No. 8 Brooklyn Nets (2-3 SU, 4-1 ATS) Friday. You can watch the game live on ESPN.
The Hawks took care of business on their homecourt Wednesday taking a 3-2 series lead with a 107-97 win and can close out the Nets with a victory on Friday.
It won’t be easy though. Atlanta had trouble with the Nets in Brooklyn dropping both games while crumbling towards the finish line. Atlanta will play a game on Sunday we just don’t know who they’ll be playing. Either Game Seven against the Nets or Game One of the second round against Washington.
Overlooked by most at the beginning of the playoffs, the Nets have a chance to extend the series to its full length by holding serve in their own gym. Brooklyn played inspired ball in their two home games in this series knocking off the Hawks twice and have never lost a Game Six in the first round. The Nets have been competitive getting outscored by only nine points in five games and the over has cashed in each of the last two games. Wednesday’s game was the first in the series decided by a double-digit margin and the Nets failed to cover for the first time.
KEY INJURY
Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague landed on the foot of Brook Lopez early in the third quarter and hobbled to the locker room. He was back in the game less than three minutes later and contributed 20 points and eight assists. Also, Al Horford had his dislocated pinkie finger banged around and was in obvious discomfort.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“You never underestimate any team. There’s some adversity we’re facing, and they’re playing really good basketball. They’re very confident. We just have to be able to handle that and come out and play better. They’re pushing us, we’re pushing them and I feel like it’s going to make us better in the end.” – Hawks forward Al Horford
BETTING TRENDS
- Atlanta is 1-6-1 ATS in its last eight games overall.
- Brooklyn is 8-2-1 ATS in its last 11 home games.
- The OVER is 8-3 in Atlanta’s last 11 road games.
KEY STATS
74.2: Nets guard Alan Anderson is shooting 74.2 percent from the field in the series, including eight of 11 from three-point range.
20: Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll put together his third straight 20-point performance Wednesday with 24 and is 25 of 42 from the field in those games.
5: One game after scoring a playoff career-high 35 points Nets guard Deron Williams tallied five Wednesday, the third time in the series he’s scored five or fewer points.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Nets have shown a fighting spirit in this series that was absent during a 38-44 regular season and can push the No. 1 seed Hawks to the limit with a win. The underachieving Nets weren’t even guaranteed a playoff spot until the final day of the regular season and most everyone saw this series as a tune-up for the Hawks, who finished 22 games better than the Nets during the season. The Nets need Deron Williams and Brook Lopez to recover from sub-par efforts Wednesday when Williams totaled just five points and Lopez vanished down the stretch and finished with 15.
Should the Hawks need more inspiration they can look at the Chicago Bulls and their Game Six annihilation of Milwaukee for a lift. The Hawks are in a similar situation with a 3-2 series lead against an opponent that wasn’t expected to put up much of a fight. The Hawks never trailed but again struggled down the stretch Wednesday, nearly losing a double-digit lead before clamping down and pulling out the cover win. The Hawks had a more consistent offensive effort with DeMarre Carroll getting 24 points and Jeff Teague and Al Horford hitting clutch shots down the stretch to fend off Brooklyn’s late push.
Sometimes all a team needs is a spark to get them going, if participating in the playoffs isn’t motivation enough. The Nets seemingly have that spark in comments Washington forward and former Net Paul Pierce made about Deron Williams prior to the playoffs. How sweet would a Williams versus Pierce matchup be in the second round? The Hawks had a better all-around effort Wednesday and will play again Sunday. Not against Brooklyn though. They’ll open the second round series with Washington.
Atlanta 106, Brooklyn 99
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 Friday, May 1, 2015, at 8 p.m. ET at the Barclays Center. The contest will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
