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Hawks vs. Nets: Where to Find Value Between Inconsistent Teams

Action Network contributor Corey Parson previews how to bet Hawks vs. Nets, including updated odds, picks & predictions for Friday's game.

Hawks vs. Nets Odds

Hawks Odds -1.5
Nets Odds +1.5
Over/Under 240.5
Time 7:30 p.m. ET
TV NBA League Pass
Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NBA odds here.

The Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks meet for the fourth and final time this season tonight in Brooklyn. The Nets have won two of the previous three games against the Hawks and can secure the tiebreaker with a win tonight.

The Hawks are tied in the standings with the Toronto Raptors, who play the Philadelphia 76ers tonight and can gain some separation with a win and Raptors loss. Let’s look at the odds and find a betting picks for Hawks vs. Nets.


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Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks enter tonight’s game occupying the eighth spot in the Eastern conference with six games left to play. It’s almost certain the Hawks will either be playing the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls in the play-in tournament. This will be the second straight season the Hawks are playing in the play-in tournament. That is not ideal for a team that was just in the conference finals two seasons ago and looked like a team on the rise.

The Hawks replaced former head coach Nate McMillan with current head coach Quin Snyder shortly after the All-star break. Since Snyder has taken over the Hawks have gone 7-8 on the straight up and against the spread. It hasn’t really made a difference in the win loss column. The Hawks’ issue is not coaching. It will be interesting to see how they approach the upcoming offseason.

At 38-38 straight up it’s easy to see Atlanta’s problem is consistency. For every step forward the Hawks take, they take one in the opposite directions. For example, over their past seven-games, which have all be critical for their chance to make the postseason, the Hawks have alternated wins and losses. I hate to single out Trae Young, but he is one of the main reasons the Hawks have not lived up to expectations this season.

Young has seen a dip in his overall efficiency on offense. His points per game (28.4 last season to 26.5 this season) and Effective Field Goal Percentage (.536 to .489) are down even though his Usage Rate is roughly the same. There is also a thought that Young was a part of the reason McMillan is no longer in Atlanta. Young has potentially run two coaches out of town in three seasons.

The Hawks are a tough team to back at the window, since the break they are 7-9 ATS. On the season the Hawks are 34-41 ATS. They are 17-20 ATS on the road. Their consistent inconsistency is troubling.


Brooklyn Nets

The Nets’ expectations when the season started to now have shifted drastically. They went from conference contenders to the brink of the play-in tournament. Brooklyn is currently sixth seed in the East. They are 7-11 SU since the All-Star break, have lost six of their past eight games and their two home wins in that span came against the Hornets and Rockets.

Backing the Nets at the betting window is brave, to say the least. They are 3-6 ATS in their past nine games. One of the bright spots for the Nets since they traded away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving has been the play of Mikal Bridges, who leads the Nets in scoring at 26.8 points per game since he joined the team.

Earlier this week he had a 44-point outing albeit in a loss agains the Magic. His point prop tonight is 27.5, a number he has gone over three times in the past nine games, but the Hawks are 30th in the league vs. forward point props. That may be something to watch in tonight’s game.

Hawks-Nets Pick

It will be tough to back either one of these teams at the window, this game should be a pick’em, which generally means we as bettors should leave it alone unless we see a clear edge on one side.

The Hawks are coming off a two-point road victory over the Cavaliers. If recent history serves correctly, that means the Hawks will lose tonight.

According to Action Network’s betting data, 54% of the money is the the Hawks as short favorites, but 79% of the money is on the Nets at the time of writing. I will take the Nets on the moneyline.

Pick: Brooklyn ML (+105)