An Eastern Conference showdown between two teams separated by only a half-game in the standings will clash on the hardwood as the Atlanta Hawks take on the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Join us for our NBA odds series where our Hawks-Nets prediction and pick will be revealed.

Entering play this evening, the Atlanta Hawks have dropped back-to-back games and are reeling after discovering the news that guard Dejounte Murray will be out of the lineup for the next few weeks after suffering an ankle injury. Regardless, other playmakers will have to step up in a big way as Atlanta barely has their heads above water with a 13-12 record over the first 25 games of the season.

As for the Nets, Brooklyn is fresh off of a gutsy 122-116 win over the Hornets and are appearing to have finally begun to hit their stride with wins in five of their previous six games overall. However, with a record of 14-12 heading into this one, the Nets already trail the first-seed Celtics by seven games and also are only two games above the Miami Heat who currently sit in tenth place out east. Simply put, the Nets need to continue their infectious winning ways to gain some separation from the rest of the conference and to begin to make ground on some of the more elite teams in the NBA.

Here are the Hawks-Nets NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NBA Odds: Hawks-Nets Odds

Atlanta Hawks: +7.5 (-110)

Brooklyn Nets: -7.5 (-110)

Over: 230 (-112)

Under: 230 (-108)

Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread

Without a doubt, the Dejounte Murray injury will prove to be a tough one to swallow. Thus far, the 26-year-old Murray has accumulated a flashy 20.8 PPG and was also lighting it up in the scoring department in his last couple games versus the Thunder and Nuggets. Unfortunately, Murray's stellar play has been halted due to a nagging setback on his ankle as Atlanta can only hope that his recovery is a speedy one. Luckily, this isn't just your average Hawks squad, and even though the team's record might not suggest that Atlanta is equipped with an abundant amount of talent to survive during Murray's absence and also find a way to cover the spread versus the Nets later tonight.

At first glance, the Hawks' chances of coming out with a spread-covering victory all depend on their superstar point guard in Trae Young. With that being said, Young missed Thursday's practice due to an illness but has not been listed on the injury report prior to this evening's matchup.

Expected to suit up, the Hawks will no doubt get a huge boost from their three-point shooting as Atlanta shot a measly 16.7% from deep in their loss to the In fact, when it was all said and done, the Hawks shot a season-worst 38% from the floor and only were able to come up with a total of 89 points in four quarters played. Simply put, if Atlanta wants any chance for a rebound outing, getting better looks on the floor that lead to high-percentage shots will be the key for a Hawks team that is 5-7 on the road this season.

Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread

With the Hawks barely hovering above the .500 mark, the Brooklyn Nets are finally at near full health and have been racking up wins faster than a speeding bullet. Even more impressively, but Brooklyn has showcased a knack to come up clutch in close games, as the Nets boast an 8-5 record in single-digit games since the start of the regular season.

Not to mention, the dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who has already taken a hefty amount of criticism since arriving in Brooklyn, finally are hitting on all cylinders. Against the Hornets, the pair combined for a lethal 62 points overall en route to the victory including scoring the Nets' final 15 points from the floor. When the two are at the top of their game, it is hard to argue that they are not consistently the best players on the court from either side in each game they suit up for.

More importantly, the biggest test for this Nets squad will be finding a way to figure out how to find consistent offense outside of Irving and Durant. As a whole, Brooklyn is only averaging 111 points per game which ranks as the 20th-best mark in the entire NBA. With that being said, guys like Nic Claxton, Seth Curry, and even Royce O'Neal will have to step up in a big way in the scoring department to bring Brooklyn over the edge. The biggest concern with this team is the lack of depth on both ends of the floor, so even the most unlikely of heroes will need to log valuable minutes for the Nets to take care of business later this evening.

Final Hawks-Nets Prediction & Pick

With Murray's absence from the Hawks' lineup a killer, Atlanta will struggle to find consistent scoring yet again versus a Brooklyn squad that may be starting to find their identity as a team overall.

Final Hawks-Nets Prediction & Pick: Nets -7.5 (-110)