Atlanta Hawks brace for Nash, Phoenix Suns
Joe Johnson and the Hawks appear to be climbing out of the funk they fell into with four wins in their last five games, including a triumphant performance on the road in Boston. Atlanta is now just a half-game behind Orlando in the Southeast Division, 25-13 overall and a very solid 15-4 at Philips Arena where the Hawks will entertain the Suns on Friday. Phoenix stumbles into Georgia with losses in two of its last three.
Don’t cross the boss.
That’s just about the only soundbite you can take for now from the Gilbert Arenas situation. We’ve heard a lot of rumor and conjecture about the gunplay (or lack thereof) between Arenas and Javaris Crittenton in the Washington Wizards dressing room. But all we know for sure is that Arenas has been suspended indefinitely by NBA commish David Stern, and Crittenton has not.
Whatever the heck is going on, the Wizards are 0-3 SU and ATS since Arenas was told to get out of Dodge. A little something to keep in mind as we prepare for what should be a very interesting weekend of pro hoops.
Let’s get things started right with the most profitable team in the NBA.
Phoenix at Atlanta (-5, 217½)
Friday - 8:00 p.m. (ET)
The Hawks are circling over the pay window for the third year in a row at 25-13 SU and a very tasty 26-12 ATS. They’ve swept all three of their games with the Boston Celtics (twice as road dogs), and they’re 5-1 ATS as double-digit favorites. You name it, Atlanta is covering it.
The Hawks still enjoy a certain level of anonymity after walking the NBA desert for most of the ‘00s. Market surveys have them at No. 10 in betting popularity, well behind Boston in fifth and the Cleveland Cavaliers in fourth.
The top spot is reserved for the resurgent Suns at 24-15 SU and 21-18 ATS. Phoenix is the more public team for many reasons: Western Conference, high-profile players, exciting playing style. The Suns are No. 1 in the league in offensive efficiency at 111.5 points per 100 possessions.
But lo and behold, the Hawks are second at 109.1 points per 100 possessions, and there’s a considerable gap on defense between Atlanta (103.2 points allowed/100) at No. 12 in the efficiency rankings and Phoenix (107.6 points allowed/100) at No. 25.
Bettors also might find it hard to drain any more value out of the Suns, if last week’s 1-2 SU and 0-3 ATS record is any indication. The Hawks are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five games, including both home and away against the Celtics.
The good news for both teams is that they’re healthy going into this marquee matchup at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. Make sure to shop around for your betting odds; Atlanta is a 4½-point chalk at several books as we go to press.
Dallas at Toronto
Sunday - 12:30 p.m. (ET)
For one brief moment there, the hottest team in the NBA was the Toronto Raptors, who were riding an 8-1 SU (7-2 ATS) streak before they were stopped by the Celtics last week. The Raps followed that up with a loss at Indiana to fall back below .500 at 19-20 (18-21 ATS), still good for sixth place in the very poor Eastern Conference. There are only four teams in the East with positive point differentials, and Toronto is not one of them at -2.0.
Dallas (25-13 SU, 18-20 ATS) might as well be in a completely different league. There are nine teams in the West scoring more points than they allow; the second-place Mavs are indeed among that lofty group at +2.8, although there are six other teams in the West with better margins.
That’s a quick and dirty way to explain why both Toronto and Dallas are overvalued and in the red as we approach the halfway point of the regular season.
There’s an amazing Jekyll and Hyde act going on with these two clubs:
Toronto: 10-8 ATS home, 8-13 ATS away
Dallas: 5-14 ATS home, 13-6 ATS away
The young Raptors are performing quite well in the cozy confines of the Air Canada Centre, while the veteran Mavs can’t wait to get out of the local spotlight – they have the best road record in the West at 13-6. Of course, these numbers stretch back to the start of the regular season. Toronto supporters will point at the success they’ve had with Jarrett Jack (-1.3 Roland Rating) as their starting point guard, with Jose Calderon (-5.3 Roland Rating) taking a reserve role since coming off the injured list. This is because Jack is one of the few Raptors showing any hustle on defense.
Note that the 'under' is 10-8 for the Raps at home and 7-13-1 on the road. Coincidence? I think not.
Joe Johnson and the Hawks appear to be climbing out of the funk they fell into with four wins in their last five games, including a triumphant performance on the road in Boston. Atlanta is now just a half-game behind Orlando in the Southeast Division, 25-13 overall and a very solid 15-4 at Philips Arena where the Hawks will entertain the Suns on Friday. Phoenix stumbles into Georgia with losses in two of its last three.
Don’t cross the boss.
That’s just about the only soundbite you can take for now from the Gilbert Arenas situation. We’ve heard a lot of rumor and conjecture about the gunplay (or lack thereof) between Arenas and Javaris Crittenton in the Washington Wizards dressing room. But all we know for sure is that Arenas has been suspended indefinitely by NBA commish David Stern, and Crittenton has not.
Whatever the heck is going on, the Wizards are 0-3 SU and ATS since Arenas was told to get out of Dodge. A little something to keep in mind as we prepare for what should be a very interesting weekend of pro hoops.
Let’s get things started right with the most profitable team in the NBA.
Phoenix at Atlanta (-5, 217½)
Friday - 8:00 p.m. (ET)
The Hawks are circling over the pay window for the third year in a row at 25-13 SU and a very tasty 26-12 ATS. They’ve swept all three of their games with the Boston Celtics (twice as road dogs), and they’re 5-1 ATS as double-digit favorites. You name it, Atlanta is covering it.
The Hawks still enjoy a certain level of anonymity after walking the NBA desert for most of the ‘00s. Market surveys have them at No. 10 in betting popularity, well behind Boston in fifth and the Cleveland Cavaliers in fourth.
The top spot is reserved for the resurgent Suns at 24-15 SU and 21-18 ATS. Phoenix is the more public team for many reasons: Western Conference, high-profile players, exciting playing style. The Suns are No. 1 in the league in offensive efficiency at 111.5 points per 100 possessions.
But lo and behold, the Hawks are second at 109.1 points per 100 possessions, and there’s a considerable gap on defense between Atlanta (103.2 points allowed/100) at No. 12 in the efficiency rankings and Phoenix (107.6 points allowed/100) at No. 25.
Bettors also might find it hard to drain any more value out of the Suns, if last week’s 1-2 SU and 0-3 ATS record is any indication. The Hawks are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five games, including both home and away against the Celtics.
The good news for both teams is that they’re healthy going into this marquee matchup at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. Make sure to shop around for your betting odds; Atlanta is a 4½-point chalk at several books as we go to press.
Dallas at Toronto
Sunday - 12:30 p.m. (ET)
For one brief moment there, the hottest team in the NBA was the Toronto Raptors, who were riding an 8-1 SU (7-2 ATS) streak before they were stopped by the Celtics last week. The Raps followed that up with a loss at Indiana to fall back below .500 at 19-20 (18-21 ATS), still good for sixth place in the very poor Eastern Conference. There are only four teams in the East with positive point differentials, and Toronto is not one of them at -2.0.
Dallas (25-13 SU, 18-20 ATS) might as well be in a completely different league. There are nine teams in the West scoring more points than they allow; the second-place Mavs are indeed among that lofty group at +2.8, although there are six other teams in the West with better margins.
That’s a quick and dirty way to explain why both Toronto and Dallas are overvalued and in the red as we approach the halfway point of the regular season.
There’s an amazing Jekyll and Hyde act going on with these two clubs:
Toronto: 10-8 ATS home, 8-13 ATS away
Dallas: 5-14 ATS home, 13-6 ATS away
The young Raptors are performing quite well in the cozy confines of the Air Canada Centre, while the veteran Mavs can’t wait to get out of the local spotlight – they have the best road record in the West at 13-6. Of course, these numbers stretch back to the start of the regular season. Toronto supporters will point at the success they’ve had with Jarrett Jack (-1.3 Roland Rating) as their starting point guard, with Jose Calderon (-5.3 Roland Rating) taking a reserve role since coming off the injured list. This is because Jack is one of the few Raptors showing any hustle on defense.
Note that the 'under' is 10-8 for the Raps at home and 7-13-1 on the road. Coincidence? I think not.