Atlanta Hawks at Denver Nuggets
Tuesday, 3/13/12, 9:00 PM EST, TV: Altitude Sports
Opening Point Spread: Denver -6
Current Betting Line: Denver -5.5
Opening Total: 196
Current Total: 196
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Atlanta continues a six-game road trip and comes off a 106-99 win over the Sacramento Kings as 1.5-point underdogs on Sunday. The Hawks are 12-11 overall on the road this season, including a 3-4 mark versus Western Conference opponents. Tonight’s game will be the only meeting between the clubs this year, with Atlanta dropping both meetings a year ago, including a 100-90 loss as two-point road favorites inside the Pepsi Center on Feb. 28, 2011. Atlanta is 5-1 ATS in March and 9-9 ATS as an underdog this year.
The Hawks are 22-2 when scoring 90-or-more points this season, which could lead to a victory in this matchup due to the Nuggets surrendering 99.1 points per game at home this season. Atlanta has established itself as one of the league’s best defensive teams, allowing 91.6 points per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. The team has held its last 12 road opponents to under 100 points. Forward Josh Smith is the player to watch offensively, scoring 25.5 points per game over the past six games.
Denver has alternated wins and losses over its last four games, as it looks to bounce back from a disappointing 94-91 win over the Memphis Grizzlies as six-point home favorites. The Nuggets are hoping that forward Danilo Gallinari will get things going on the offensive end, as he was held scoreless last time out for the first time since Jan. 11, 2010. He still comes in averaging 15.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Denver is 14-20 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points the last two-plus seasons.
The Nuggets are 12-10 at home this season, including a 4-1 mark versus Eastern Conference foes. Denver has won six of the last seven meetings in this series when playing in the Mile High City. There’s no question that the Nuggets will look to press the pace due to posting an 0-4 record when scoring under 90 points this season. Point guard Ty Lawson will be in charge of doing just that, as he comes in scoring 16.0 points and dishing out 9.7 assists over the past seven games.
Bettors will likely back the Nuggets due to their 10-1 ATS mark versus Southeast division opponents, while the Hawks are 1-4 ATS as a road underdog of 5.0 to 10.5 points.
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