Hawks-Mavs Betting Line December 9
Carrie Stroup here with your Hawks-Mavs betting line for December 9. Atlanta -1, Total:203
ATLANTA HAWKS (13-9) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (13-9)
The Mavericks will be looking for their third straight win when they host the Hawks on Wednesday.
Atlanta has struggled to find consistency this season and the team enters Wednesday’s meeting with the Mavs after trading wins and losses since defeating the Kings on Nov. 18. The Hawks’ seven-game winning streak from Oct. 29 to Nov. 7 marks the last time this team has won consecutive games and they’ll be desperately trying to change that on Wednesday. The top spot in the Eastern Conference is up for grabs as always and it would mean a lot to this team to climb its way back to the top of the standings. That won’t happen if the Hawks cannot put together a few winning streaks along the way.
Dallas, meanwhile, has won two straight games and three of their past four both SU and ATS. The Mavericks won back-to-back road games in Washington and New York respectively this week and will now look to keep up their strong play by winning at home. Their offense has really clicked the past two games, averaging 110.0 PPG. They have also shot at least 45% from the field in each of the past four contests.
Atlanta is 10-1 ATS in a road game where the total is between 200 and 204.5 points over the past two seasons. Yet, Dallas is 151-105 ATS after two consecutive non-conference games since 1996. C Tiago Splitter (Hip) is questionable for the Hawks in Wednesday’s game, and both PG Devin Harris (Ribs) and PG Jose Juan Barea (Ankle) are questionable but not likely to play for the Mavericks.
The Hawks have really not played well since early in the season, but a win in Dallas could provide a nice boost in confidence. One guy that will really have an opportunity to shine in this game is PG Jeff Teague (16.5 PPG, 6.4 APG, 2.7 RPG, 1.2 SPG). Teague is averaging just 12.0 PPG over the past two contests, but he will need to be very aggressive as a scorer on Wednesday. Deron Williams will likely be the guy that checks him and Williams does not have the lateral quickness to stay in front of a speedy guard like Teague.
If the Hawks are going to win, though, then PF Paul Millsap (18.2 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.2 BPG) will have to get his touch back. He is the team’s leading scorer, but he is averaging just 14.5 PPG over the past two contests and he is 1-for-8 from the outside over the past five games. The Hawks desperately need Millsap to stretch the floor and continue to be a menace in the paint. If he is off his game then a good offensive performance by Dirk Nowitzki would potentially be too much for this team to handle.
The Mavericks are playing extremely well recently and the team is really relying a lot on both PG Deron Williams (15.2 PPG, 6.0 APG, 3.1 RPG) and PF Dirk Nowitzki (17.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG). Nowitzki lit up the Knicks on Monday, pouring in 25 points with six boards in 33 minutes of action. Williams also played well, scoring 20 points and also dishing out seven assists. He is averaging 18.6 PPG and 7.4 APG over the past five contests. Both Nowitzki and Williams will need to get it going against the Hawks. They are very difficult to cover in the pick-and-pop and will be looking to that often on Wednesday.
Another guy who can really light it up is SG Wes Matthews (12.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG), who is starting to find his stroke for the Mavericks. Over the past five games, he is averaging 15.8 PPG and 5.2 RPG on 38.3% shooting from the outside. He knocked down 10 threes two games ago against the Wizards and is looking healthier and healthier by the day.
