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The Toronto Raptors host the Atlanta Hawks for an eastern battle on Saturday night! It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Hawks-Raptors prediction and pick.
The Hawks are struggling right now but did win their last game against the short-handed Indiana Pacers 113-111. Trae Yong ended with a team-high 26 points which was enough to give the Hawks the edge. John Collins tipped in a game-winner with less than a second left to stun the Pacers on the road. ATL is now (20-22) on the season which puts them 9th in the Eastern Conference.
The Toronto Raptors are slowly putting things together. They have won their last three games which all have come at home. Their last two games were against the Charlotte Hornets, who have really struggled this season. It was good that Toronto was able to take advantage of their misplay and played two well-offensive games. The Raptors' offense had been really bad but managed to score 132 in Game 1 against Charlotte and 124 in the second game. Now at (19-23), the Raptors are in 10th place and exactly one game behind the Hawks.
Here are the Hawks-Raptors NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Hawks-Raptors Odds
Atlanta Hawks: +7 (-110)
Toronto Raptors: -7 (-110)
Over: 231.5 (-110)
Under: 231.5 (-110)
How To Watch Hawks vs. Raptors
TV: Bally Sports Southeast
Stream: NBA League Pass
Time: 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread
Clint Capela continues to be out for the Hawks and Bogdan Bogdanovic is questionable with left-quad soreness. Outside fo those two, the Hawks are as healthy as they can get.
The Hawks are near the middle of the pack in the NBA in scoring. They average 115 points per game but the issue has been three-point shooting. The Hawks are 27th in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage at just 33.7%. With the roster they have, that is inexcusable. They contain one of the best shooters in the game in Trae Young, but even he isn't successful from beyond the arc this year. Young is shooting worse than the team average at just 32.5%. The Trae we are used to seeing is a far better shooter than that. If he can turn things around tonight then surely the Hawks will cover this spread.
Dejounte Murray is averaging 20 points per game which is second on the team and also contributes with 5.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists on the season. Bogdanovic is third on the team averaging 16 points per game but has only played in 19 games this year. They need his presence back on the court.
Why The Raptors Could Cover The Spread
The only player out for the Raptors is Otto Porter Jr. (who will miss a lot of time). Outside of him, the team is as healthy as an ox. The Raptors need to keep doing whatever it is that they are doing. Before their win streak, Toronto was as far as seven games below .500. That isn't what we are used to seeing from this squad. However, it's been a down year for this team as it has been for the Hawks. The Raptors average just 112 points per game which is 24th in the NBA. On the flip side, they are 9th in points allowed at just 111.5 per game. If they can show up on the defensive end, then they should cover this spread.
Pascal Siakam leads the team with 26.1 points per game and tallies 8.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists on the year. He is one of the more well-rounded players in the NBA today and has been a huge reason for their recent success. He scored 35 last game and then 28 before that against the Hornets. Gary Trent Jr. is behind him averaging 18.5 points per game which is second on the team. O.G. Anunoby and Fred VanVleet both average north of 18 points per game as well… which makes you wonder why they haven't been on cue offensively this season. Maybe they need to sign a guy taller than 6-foot-9? I don't know.
Final Hawks-Raptors Prediction & Pick
This should be a close battle and because of that, I like the Hawks to cover this spread. Maybe this can be their momentum shifter.
Final Hawks-Raptors Prediction & Pick: Hawks +7 (-110)
