The No. 1 Atlanta Hawks (5-4 SU, 3-6 ATS) will try to even their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the No. 5 Washington Wizards (6-1 SU, 6-1 ATS) Monday. You can watch the game live on TNT.
After winning a franchise record 60 games in the regular season to earn the top seed for the first time in 21 years, the Hawks are suddenly fighting for their playoff lives after falling to the Wizards 103-101 Saturday. They were the East’s best road team during the regular season but have now lost nine of 12 away games.
The Wizards showed they can beat the top-seeded Hawks without John Wall, though it took a last second shot to do so. They’ll have to win the series now without him. The Wizards are 3-0 at home and 6-1 straight up and ATS this postseason. More importantly they are 1-1 without Wall in the lineup and can take a commanding 3-1 lead with a win Monday.
KEY INJURY
Reports have surfaced that Wizards guard John Wall is unlikely to return in this series and may be out longer after suffering five fractures in his non-shooting hand and wrist in Game One. Meanwhile, the Hawks expect to get forward Paul Millsap back in the starting lineup after flu-like symptoms limited him to eight points and two rebounds off the bench Saturday.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“We feel like it’s only us in the locker room who is going to give us a chance (without John Wall). We feel like we should have won Game Two, truthfully. But even with John out, we still feel like we have enough in that room to win a game, to win this series. It’s not going to deter us from our goals.” – Wizards forward Paul Pierce.
BETTING TRENDS
- Atlanta is 1-4-1 ATS in its last six road games.
- Washington is 8-1-1 ATS in its last 10 games overall.
- The OVER is 6-1 in the last seven head-to-head meetings.
KEY STATS
29.2: Hawks All-Star guard Jeff Teague has played like anything but one so far in the series. He’s made just 29.2 percent of his shots going 12 for 41 following his five for 15 effort on Saturday.
14: After averaging six points per game during the regular season, Wizards reserve forward Otto Porter has scored double-figures in all three series games, including a playoff-high 17 Saturday, and averages 14 points.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Hawks let out a big sigh when it was revealed Wizards guard John Wall wouldn’t play with a wrist injury and they didn’t inhale again until the fourth quarter. They overcame a huge deficit in the final minutes to tie the game only to lose on a buzzer-beating shot from Paul Pierce. The Hawks did plenty with their reserves but will need a better effort from their starters, who finished with 51 points and shot just 37.5 percent on Saturday. The reserves mounted a late comeback with a 17-0 run and Mike Muscala tied the game with 14 seconds left. “The way that the group that finished played, we’re going to have to play more like that for 48 minutes,” coach Mike Budenholzer said.
When you’re best player goes down with an injury it takes everybody to step up and fill the void. That’s exactly what the Wizards did Saturday without John Wall. Paul Pierce was the hero with his game-winning shot but the contributions of Otto Porter and Nene can’t be overlooked. The Wizards will need more of the same to fend off the Hawks. Getting the win on Pierce’s buzzer-beater masked the meltdown the Wizards experienced in the final quarter letting the Hawks tie the game late.
Atlanta had difficulties putting the eighth-seeded Nets away in the first-round but eventually did by playing its best playoff basketball in the final two games of that series. The Hawks have struggled again in this series looking nothing like the team that waltzed through the regular season but they seem to rise to the occasion when it’s needed. The Hawks need Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap, Al Horford and Kyle Korver to be their best players and they will on Monday, taking advantage of the shorthanded Wizards this time.
Atlanta 107, Washington 97
The NBA spread for this game will be available at BookMaker sportsbook. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
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