NBA Betting Odds – Nets vs. Hawks, Wizards vs. Suns
Gambling911.com has your NBA betting odds for the Nets vs. Hawks and the Wizards vs. Suns games January 28, 2014. Place your 1st bet, get your 2nd bet free here.
BROOKLYN NETS (18-26) at ATLANTA HAWKS (37-8)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Atlanta -13, Total: 192.5
The Hawks look to continue their dominance of the Eastern Conference when they host the Nets on Wednesday night.
The Nets haven’t been able to find much of an identity over the past few years despite having plenty of talented players, and they come into this tough matchup with defeats in 10 of their past 12 contests SU (3-9 ATS). Over that period, their offense has reached 100 points a mere two times, as they are averaging 89.8 PPG, and have been even worse in their past two games, hitting fewer than 39% FG each time. Brooklyn took on the Jazz in the third of four consecutive road games on Saturday and was run out of the arena in a 108-73 blowout as 4-point underdogs. The club let Utah make 42-of-79 shots (53% FG), and was outrebounded 42-29 in the embarrassing effort.
Everything has finally clicked for the Hawks and they have had no issues getting win after win as they ride a 16-game streak without a SU loss (14-1-1 ATS). They’ve defeated their opposition by an average of 12.1 PPG over the streak and were able to score 105+ points in 11 of the victories. They were unable to cover the big 17.5-point spread at home against Minnesota on Sunday night, as they sent the Timberwolves packing with a 112-100 loss. Both teams were very efficient in the high-scoring matchup, but Atlanta was in its own league with 45-of-80 shots going in (56% FG) as each starter scored at least 13 points.
The road hasn’t been a great place for the Nets this season, as they are 10-12 SU (12-10 ATS) when away from home, and the Hawks are an amazing 20-3 SU (15-8 ATS) at Philips Arena. These two clubs met just once so far this season, and it wasn’t much of a game, as Atlanta built up a big 52-31 halftime lead and finished up with a 98-75 victory as a pick 'em on the road. Neither team was particularly impressive on the offensive end, but the Hawks were able to force 17 turnovers and hold Brooklyn to a meager 37.5% shooting.
Some interesting trends to keep an eye on in this one include that Atlanta is just 1-12 ATS (8%) in home games off a no-cover where the team won SU as a favorite over the past three seasons, but it has also gone 17-3 ATS (85%) after two straight games with 10 or less offensive rebounds this season. The Nets have dealt with some tough injuries this season, and they will be without PG Deron Williams (ribs) for this one, and SF Mirza Teletovic (illness) will miss the rest of the season for the team. PG Shelvin Mack (calf) is questionable for the host club.
Brooklyn won’t impress too many people with its offense, as it are scoring 95.0 PPG (25th in league) and making 44.4% of its field goal attempts (20th in NBA). On the other side of the ball, the defense has been uninspiring as it us giving up 98.7 PPG on 45.1% shooting.
SG Joe Johnson (15.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG) has seen his production drop off in a big way recently and has scored in single-digits in four of his past six contests. He only took eight shots when facing the Hawks earlier this season, making four as he scored 12 points to go with six rebounds in the loss.
PG Jarrett Jack (11.5 PPG, 4.5 APG, 1.2 SPG) has proven to be a valuable asset with Deron Williams out, and Jack has scored at least 16 points with 7+ assists in four of his past five performances. He played just 19 minutes when these clubs last met, netting six points with three assists.
C Brook Lopez (14.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.6 BPG) has been a non-factor in the past two games, scoring a total of 10 points, as he’s made just 3-of-12 shots and added 3.0 RPG. His 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting and seven rebounds against Atlanta earlier this season was the team’s lone bright spot in an otherwise poor performance.
Atlanta has upped its offensive game during this breakout campaign and is putting up 103.4 PPG (6th in league) behind 47.3% shooting from the floor (4th in NBA). The Hawks are doing even better on the other side of the ball and have allowed a mere 96.2 PPG (2nd in league) as the opposition is hitting 43.6% of their shots (5th in NBA).
PG Jeff Teague (17.1 PPG, 7.5 APG, 1.8 SPG) has not done well on the offensive end over the past five games, shooting 39% from the floor, but still managed double-digit points in each of the outings. The Nets didn’t give him much trouble in Atlanta’s win this season, as he was 5-for-9 from the floor with 15 points, and added five rebounds and four assists.
PF Paul Millsap (17.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.8 SPG) is coming off a dominating effort (20 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals) in the victory over Minnesota and was solid against Brooklyn back in December with 17 points and nine rebounds.
C Al Horford (15.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.4 BPG) has made 69% of his shots in the past five games and has at least one steal and one block in each of the past four contests. Unlike his fellow teammates, Horford did not fare well in the last meeting with the Nets, and had just seven points (3-for-10) with five rebounds.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS (31-15) at PHOENIX SUNS (26-20)
Sportbook.ag Line: Phoenix -6.5, Total: 211.5
The Suns look to end a two-game losing skid Wednesday with a big home victory over the Wizards.
The Wizards trailed the Lakers by 11 heading into the second half of Tuesday night’s game and ended up winning 98-92 as 8.5-point favorites. Washington has now won two straight games, but is 0-4 ATS in its past four contests. The Wizards turned the ball over 16 times against Los Angeles and they are now averaging 16.5 turnovers per game over their past two games. That will need to change against a Suns team that scores 107.4 PPG (3rd in NBA) and 19.1 PPG off turnovers (also 3rd in league).
Phoenix has struggled recently, losing two straight games SU and a third straight ATS in a 120-100 loss as a 2-point home underdog against the Clippers. The Suns’ defense has been putrid over the past three contests, allowing 115.3 PPG in that span.
These teams met in Washington earlier on Dec. 21 and the Suns beat the Wizards 104-92 as 6-point road underdogs. The Suns have won-and-covered in two straight in this series, but Washington has won-and-covered in its past two trips to US Airways Center. Prior to those road victories for the Wizards, the Suns had won five in a row SU at home against Washington and they covered in four of those contests. Three straight meetings between these teams in Phoenix have gone Under the total.
Over the past three seasons, the Wizards are 44-21 ATS revenging a loss where their opponent scored 100+ points. The Suns, however, are 10-4 ATS after failing to cover the spread in three or more consecutive games over the past three seasons. SF Paul Pierce (toe) and PF Martell Webster (knee) are both listed as questionable for the Wizards in this one, while Phoenix is injury-free.
The Wizards overcame a big deficit to beat the Lakers on Tuesday night and they will now look to end their four-game road trip with three straight victories. PG John Wall (17.3 PPG, 10.2 APG, 4.3 RPG, 2.1 SPG) was dealing with a sore left Achilles against the Lakers on Tuesday, but he still finished the game with 21 points (8-of-12 FG), 13 assists, nine rebounds and three steals in 36 minutes of action. Wall looked great in the game, but there is a slight chance the team opts to give him some rest on the second night of Washington’s back-to-back. The point guard struggled in the last meeting with Phoenix on Dec. 21, finishing with just 14 points (5-of-15 FG) and eight assists in 38 minutes of action. If Wall does play, he’ll need to be a lot more efficient shooting the ball, and will have his work cut out for him going against the three-headed monster at point guard for the Suns.
SG Bradley Beal (14.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.3 APG) had 19 points and four rebounds in the win over the Lakers on Tuesday. Beal had just 14 points in a loss to Phoenix in December and he also got himself into foul trouble in that game. He’ll need to be disciplined in this one, as he’ll need to really rise to the occasion with Wall playing at less than 100 percent or even not playing at all.
C Marcin Gortat (11.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.3 BPG) has not been a big part of the offense recently, averaging just 7.3 PPG over the past three contests. The Wizards will need to start getting him some more touches inside, as he makes things a lot easier on their guards when he is scoring.
SF Otto Porter Jr. (5.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG) slid into the starting lineup for an injured SF Paul Pierce (12.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG) on Tuesday and finished with 12 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Porter more than held his own in the game, and his solid play could allow Pierce to sit out another game and get himself back to 100 percent before the Wizards head home for a matchup with the Raptors on Saturday.
The Suns have lost two straight games and their defense has been miserable as of late. Phoenix allows 105.3 PPG (28th in NBA) on the season, but the club has surrendered 113+ points in each of its past three contests. They’ll need to be a lot better on that end of the floor against Washington on Wednesday or they could lose a third straight game, which would be brutal due to the tight race for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
PG Eric Bledsoe (16.9 PPG, 6.0 APG, 5.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG) had 17 points and seven assists against the Clippers on Sunday, but he did turn the ball over four times and also got himself into foul trouble. He’ll need to limit his mistakes against John Wall in this game and the Suns will need him to tire Wall out on the defensive end by taking the ball to the basket. Bledsoe had 17 points and nine assists the last time these teams met and he should be even better in this one, as he’s been on fire recently with 21.6 PPG, 6.2 APG, 5.6 RPG over the past five games.
SG Goran Dragic (16.5 PPG, 4.1 APG, 3.6 RPG) has been awful in the Suns’ past two games, averaging just 6.0 PPG and 5.0 APG in those contests. Dragic had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists in the first meeting with the Wizards, and he will need to be on his game in this one. His speed can give Bradley Beal a lot of problems on both ends of the floor, so Dragic will need to keep his head high after some lousy performances.
PG Isaiah Thomas (15.4 PPG, 3.7 APG) has been outstanding off the bench for this team recently. He has scored at least 22 points in each of the past four games, but he had only 10 when the Suns faced the Wizards in December. If Thomas can get hot in this one, the Wizards will stand little to no chance on the road.
PF Markieff Morris (15.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG) has been inconsistent recently, scoring less than 10 points in two of the past three games. Phoenix needs Morris to be mentally prepared every given night and not just when he feels like it. He can be a huge X-factor in this game if he is scoring the ball efficiently.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
