Tip off: 7:05 PM EST
Spread: ATL -1.5
Total: 186
M/L: ATL -125, CHA +105
The Hawks are 4-3 on the young season with a 2-2 road record. Last time out, they suffered a 7 point loss in a high scoring affair against the LeBron and Wade-less Miami Heat. The Heat still had Chris Bosh, who put up 33 points in the triple OT thriller. Six Hawks players scored in double figures, paced by Joe Johnson’s 20, though Johnson shot just 35% from the floor. Josh Smith was impressive on the boards once again, grabbing 13, but shot just 6 of 17 from the floor and blocked only one shot. Smith’s struggles have been readily apparent: 11.7 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting 37.8% from the floor. If the Hawks are to be more than a middle of the road team, they need more from Smith.
The Bobcats are 2-4, and truthfully, that is about the best they could have hoped for. For a team so woefully lacking weapons, they managed to score 118 against the Knicks on Wednesday night, in a win that was as pleasant as it was surprising, for a team that was a heavy underdog on the road. Boris Diaw had another monster game, going 12 of 15 from the floor en route to 27 points, to go along with 6 assists. Second year guard Gerald Henderson also nailed 10 of 13 and scored 24. The Bobcats are going to continue to need big contributions, in addition to getting more from rookie Kemba Walker and aged veteran Corey Maggette
Atlanta Betting Trends:
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Atlanta’s last 9 games and it has gone UNDER in all 5 of their last 5 on the road. The Hawks are 5-13 SU in their last 18 on the road and the Hawks are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 against Charlotte. The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Hawks’ last 6 games against the Bobcats and it has gone OVER in 5 of the last 6 road games against Charlotte. The Hawks are 2-9 SU in their last 11 games on the road against the Bobcats and the Hawks are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games on the road against the Bobcats.
Charlotte Betting Trends:
The Bobcats are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games and the total has gone OVER in 8 of their last 11 games. The total has also gone OVER In 16 of their last 23 at home while the Bobcats are 2-5 SU in their last 7 home games. The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Bobcats’ last 6 games against Atlanta and it has gone OVER in 5 of the last 6 against ATL at home. The Bobcats are 9-2 SU in their last 11 home games against the Hawks.
Key Matchup:
Al Horford vs. Boris Diaw
There was a time when Diaw might have been classified as somewhat exciting. Those days are clearly gone. Diaw has put on a lot of weight in the last two seasons, but surprisingly has been more effective this year than in any of years’ past. He has nearly recorded two triple doubles already and as mentioned scored 27 last game out. Horford, though, is one of the best post defenders in the league, but may have trouble with Diaw (surprising) speed and versatility. Look for Horford to attack hard on offense and try to get Diaw into foul trouble because Charlotte’s bigs off the bench are pretty bad.
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