Can the Atlanta Hawks soar any higher? The red-hot Hawks have won 14 consecutive games and have their sights set on a franchise-record 15th straight this Friday at home. But they’ll be up against reigning MVP Kevin Durant and his Oklahoma City Thunder, who are also sporting a winning streak of their own.
Will the Hawks make history at the Thunder’s expense? Check out our preview of this big game below. Get ready for another great weekend of NBA hoops action with our preview of the Wizards vs. Blazers.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Atlanta Hawks Betting Preview
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta
When: Friday, January 23, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma City Thunder at Atlanta Hawks – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are on a roll. They’ve won (and covered) four straight games to keep pace with the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns in the race for the final playoff spots in the very competitive Western Conference.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Thunder started off their winning streak by handing the NBA-best Golden State Warriors a rare defeat, 127-115, last Friday. They’ve since followed that up with three straight road wins against Southeast Conference foes in the Magic (127-99), Heat (94-86) in regulation and the Wizards (105-103) in overtime.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook carried the team with over 30 points each in their win against the Wizards on Wednesday, but the Thunder have been getting some timely contributions from their supporting cast of late.
Dion Waiters has scored 15 or more points in four of his first seven games since being traded to the Thunder, while sixth man Reggie Jackson has also popped up with intermittent double-digit scoring games.
The Thunder’s increased firepower off the bench should help them overcome the Hawks’ deep and balanced attack. They also have the athleticism and versatility in just about every position, which should enable them to match up well with the Atlanta’s equally versatile perimeter-based offense reliant on the three-pointer.
The Thunder are seventh in defending the three this season, holding opponents to just 33 percent from beyond the arc.
Betting on the Atlanta Hawks
There’s just no stopping these Atlanta Hawks right now. With their 110-91 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, the Hawks have now matched their franchise record with 14 straight wins. They’ve also covered an astounding 12 consecutive games and 18 of the last 20.
Over the last 10 games, the Hawks have the third most efficient offense in the entire league, averaging 111.1 points per 100 possessions. They’ve accomplished this even as their starters are barely playing over 30 minutes per game, which has kept them relatively fresh for most of the run. They have very good depth, with eight players averaging seven or more points during that stretch.
The Hawks have been just as impressive on the defensive end. They also rank third in scoring defense over the past 10 games, giving up just 91.5 points per game.
Atlanta should be able to do what it likes to do – shoot a lot of threes – against a Thunder team that has given up the 28th-most attempts this season. And expect the sharpshooting Hawks, who are second in three-point accuracy at close to 39 percent, to hit their fair share.
Atlanta is 18-3 at home, the second-best home record in the NBA behind the Warriors, and is 13-8 against the spread.
Writer’s Prediction
The Hawks hold home court to win and cover against the Thunder. Create a betting account now and join in the excitement that only big-time NBA matchups bring.
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