The Brooklyn Nets dropped two close games to the Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic, the two teams chasing them in the East standings. They'll head on the road to face the lowly Atlanta Hawks as road favorites, which hasn't netted much success for them this season.
Can they snap their recent skid in the against Trae Young & Co. in the peach state? Our NBA crew breaks down the matchup below.
Nets at Hawks Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions
- Spread: Nets -3.5
- Over/Under: 236.5
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Odds as of Friday and via FanDuel. Get up to a $500 risk-free bet at FanDuel today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.
Betting Trend to Know
The Nets are average when it comes to covering the spread against teams below .500 (17-14 against the spread this season), but are significantly worse covering in those games on the road. In their past eight games on the road against teams with a losing record, the Nets are just 2-6 ATS.
Matt LaMarca: Hello, Brooklyn
Both of these teams have had disappointing seasons, but I think there are some factors working in the Nets’ favor tonight.
They’re obviously dealing with an injury to Kyrie Irving, but Irving hasn’t been particularly important to the Nets’ production this season. Their offense has been much better with Irving on the court — they’ve increased their Offensive Rating by +7.3 points per 100 possessions in that situation — but they’ve given nearly all of it back on the defensive end. Overall, the Nets are just +0.1 points per 100 possessions better with Irving in the lineup, so his impact has been pretty minimal.
In fact, you could argue that Spencer Dinwiddie has been the superior player. The Nets have been even better with Dinwiddie on the court offensively, and the drop-off on the defense end hasn’t been nearly as steep. Their current starting lineup — Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, Taurean Prince, and Jarrett Allen — has been outstanding, posting a Net Rating of +16.2. Irving being out of the lineup means more minutes for that group, which is almost certainly a positive.
The Nets have covered each of their first three games vs. the Hawks this season, winning each game by at least 10 points. The Nets were favored by nine points at home in their last matchup, so this line feels a touch low when adjusting for home court.
The books are likely overcompensating for the absence of Irving, and we’ve tracked two separate Steam Moves on the Nets at -3 via our Sports Insights tools. I would be willing to play them as high as -4.
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Top Nets-Hawks Prop Bet
Caris Levert Over/Under 4.5 Assists
Per our FantasyLabs player props tool, Levert is projected for 5.7 assists, so this total is well under what we expect. Since Irving left the lineup earlier this month, Levert is averaging 70.4 touches per game (ranks second behind starting point guard Spencer Dinwiddie) and 5.3 assists per game including five or more assists in five of those nine games.
Both teams rank in the top-10 in pace this season and the Hawks' defense is one of the worst in the NBA so points should be easy to come by for the Nets. — Malik Smith
The Pick: Over 4.5 Assists
Editor’s note: The opinions on this game are from the individual writers and are based on their research, analysis and perspective. They are independent of, and may not always match with, the algorithm-driven Best Bets from Sports Insights.
