Thank God it’s Friday! Hoops fans will be thanking their lucky stars tonight as the NBA has served up a pair of highly-entertaining matchups that will surely capture the imagination of basketball aficionados all over. First off, the Atlanta Hawks put their lengthy winning streak on the line when they face Kevin Durant and the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Later on, the Phoenix Suns entertain the Houston Rockets in a marquee Western Conference showdown. Read on below for our breakdown of these two important games and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks here.
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Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Atlanta Hawks (7:30 PM ET)
Line: Oklahoma City Thunder +4.5 at Atlanta Hawks -4.5, total 208.5 – view all NBA lines
[sc:NBA240banner ]There’s just no stopping the Atlanta Hawks right now after they stormed to a franchise-record 14th-straight victory with an emphatic 110-91 win over the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night. A total of six players scored in double-figures for the Hawks who became just the third Eastern Conference team in the last 30 seasons to win 28 games in a 30-game stretch.
They will look to extend their unbeaten run when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder. Like the Hawks, the Thunder are flying high right now having won all of their last four games. They were impressive in their last game against the Wizards where they came back from a 12-point halftime deficit to hack out a 105-103 overtime win.
Durant and Westbrook led the way for the Thunder, combining for 68 points on 22-of-51 shooting from the field. The Thunder will fancy their chances of ending Atlanta’s winning streak as they have won seven of their last 10 games with the Hawks.
You can read our complete preview of the game here.
Writer’s Prediction
The Hawks edge past the Thunder, 101-98.
Houston Rockets vs. Phoenix Suns (9:00 PM ET)
Line: Houston Rockets (+2.5) at Phoenix Suns (-2.5); total 220.0 – view all NBA lines
The Phoenix Suns will look to extend their winning streak to five games when they host the Houston Rockets at US Airways Center later tonight. The Suns are coming off a nail-biting 118-113 win against Western Conference powerhouse Portland Trail Blazers which saw four Phoenix players score in double-figures.
Leading the way for Phoenix was Eric Bledsoe who exploded for a career-high 33 points in addition to his 10 rebounds and six assists. He has played a major part in the Suns’ uprising this season, averaging 16.8 points per game, second-best in the entire team.
He will look to continue his fine play against the Rockets who are struggling to string together some wins as of late. The Rockets have lost three of their last five games, including Wednesday night’s humiliating 126-113 defeat to the Golden State Warriors.
The Suns are 7-3 SU in their last 10 meetings with the Rockets at US Airways Center.
You can check out a complete preview of the game here.
