With both teams looking for consistency in their game in the early part of the season the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets will face each other on Wednesday in the first game of ESPN’s doubleheader. The Nets are the betting favorite to win the O’Brien Trophy with superstars Kevin Durant and James Harden on the roster, but it’s been a difficult start. With Harden struggling the Nets have alternated wins and losses through the first seven contests. A pair of double-digit setbacks had the Hawks record even through six games.
The contest between the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY and will air live on ESPN. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the Wednesday NBA schedule.
NBA Opening Lines at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
The Nets will be favored when the line comes out. However, that hasn’t meant much so far this season. They got back to .500 with a 105-98 win over Indiana on Friday and climbed above the break-even point for the first time by taking down Detroit on Sunday. The Nets covered against Detroit moving to 3-4 ATS. It’s the point totals that have UNDER bettors cashing in, though. The Nets average 104.5 points which has the UNDER at 7-0. Atlanta’s 122-94 loss at Philly on Saturday was its second straight dropping the Hawks to 3-3 SU. They failed to cover the 3.5-point spread, their third straight ATS loss dropping them to 2-4 ATS on the year.
Atlanta Hawks
Looking to build off their impressive playoff run from last season, the Atlanta Hawks are leaning on a youthful core to get them to the next level. Things don’t always go according to plan, though. A new season brings a new set of challenges and the Hawks have started slowly. Most expected Atlanta to take a big step forward and while it’s still early, they haven’t quite gotten there. Wins over Detroit and New Orleans masked a bigger problem that was exposed in double-digit losses to Washington and Philadelphia. “Our offense is out of sync and that’s leading to no defense at all. We’re turning the ball over. Our shot selection – we’re taking quick shots and it’s leading to transition baskets. We have no rhythm right now,” Nate McMillan said.
While the per game averages of Trae Young are decent with 22.3 points and 10.0 assists, the offensive leader mirrors the difficulties of the team. Young admittedly is not a fan of the league’s crackdown on fouls initiated by the offensive player and it seems to have affected his game. Young is shooting 42.9 percent from the floor after going 11 of 33 combined in the previous two games. He’s also shooting below 30 percent from three-point range. The Hawks need to find consistency on the road as well. They are just 1-3 SU and 0-4 ATS in four roadies.
Brooklyn Nets
With Durant and Harden you wouldn’t expect offense to be a problem for the Nets. It had been until Sunday’s 117-91 win over Detroit. The Nets put up a season-high point total while winning consecutive games for the first time. They also continued a winning trend for UNDER bettors by playing below the closing total for a seventh consecutive game. While the offense rounds into form the Nets are playing good defense. They allowed less than 100 points in consecutive games and in three of the previous four winning all three.
Harden had some issues in the early going but seemingly busted out against Detroit. The shot volume was low, but the Beard was efficient hitting 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 7 from three-point land for 18 points. He did a little bit of everything with 12 assists and 10 rebounds for his first triple-double of the year. Like a number of teams the Nets are getting accustomed to a much different roster. They will eventually benefit from the return of LaMarcus Aldridge, who tallied 16 points on 7 of 8 shooting against Detroit, and that streak of playing under the total will soon end.
NBA Odds Pick
This is actually an important early season game as both teams look to send a message. The Nets played their best game of the season on Sunday with contributions from everyone. I don’t expect them to shoot 65 percent, but they found a level on offense that was missing. And I don’t think Brooklyn is ready to pass the torch, so back the home team in this showdown.
NBA Odds Prediction: Nets 113, Hawks 103
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