The Atlanta Hawks will face the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center on February 29. This is the third matchup between the two teams this season. Whenever they have clashed this season, the fans have been treated to a thrilling finish. Both games were decided within two points each time. This has become a general trend between these two teams, as four of their last five games since 2022 have been decided by two points or less.
Preview
The Atlanta Hawks will be without Trae Young, who is out for at least four weeks with a torn radial collateral ligament on his left hand. However, the Hawks have won their last two games while holding both opponent teams to under one hundred points. The Hawks are currently in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a 26-32 record. The Brooklyn Nets, on the other hand, are 1-1 in their last two games. They are coming off a big 108-81 loss to the Magic.
Starting lineup
The Hawks have Trae Young, Mouhamed Gueye and Onyeka Okongwu on the injured list. They are expected to start with Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson and Clint Capela.
The Nets have two players on their injury list: Dariq Whitehead and Cam Thomas. They are most likely to start with Dennis Schroder, Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton.
Betting tips & Prediction
Dejounte Murray’s over/under for the upcoming contest is 22.5 points. It is slightly above his season average of 21.5 points per game. But it is safer to bet on his under.
Mikal Bridges has an over/under of 23.5 points for the upcoming contest. In the two games that the Hawks and Nets have played this season, he has scored 45 and 32 points. Bet on him to go over, as Hawks’ defense has proven ineffective in slowing him down.
Nic Claxton’s over/under on rebounds is 9.5. He is averaging 9.9 rebounds this season and has gotten under nine rebounds in his last live contests. Betting on him to go under 9.5 will be a better option.
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The Nets are favored to win against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. They have the home advantage. Despite the Hawks having a streak of two consecutive wins, the Nets are expected to come away with the win. The total will likely go over.
