The Atlanta Hawks blew their chance to steal a game against the Washington Wizards on the road. Now their backs are against the wall when the teams face off in Game 3 of their first round Eastern Conference playoff showdown.
Atlanta was the underdog on the road but the change of venue should make it a slight favorite in this matchup. The Wizards struggled away from home during the regular season but would love to overcome that and set up a sweep with a victory in this one.
The Wizards’ backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal has been impressive in this series and the Hawks need to find a way to slow them down in order to claim a much-needed win.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, April 22, 2017, at 2:30 p.m. ET at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Saturday schedule.
NBA Odds
The Wizards are 51-33 straight up and 44-39-1 against the spread on the season after covering in the first two matchups. They are 19-21-1 against the spread on the road this season and are under .500 straight up. Washington has been the underdog in 33 road games on the year and covered in 17 of them.
The Hawks are 43-41 straight up and 39-45 against the spread. Atlanta has played in 41 home games on the season but has only covered in 17 of those meetings. The Hawks have not been good as the favorite this season, with a record of 21-32 against the spread.
The scoring total in Game 2 was set at 212 points, and the “under” was the correct choice in the 109-101 outcome. It could be similar in this one.
Last Time Out
Atlanta used a big third quarter to pull ahead of the Wizards in Game 2, but Washington bounced back with 35 points in the final quarter to rally for the win. Wall and Beal were fantastic, scoring 32 and 31 points, respectively, while shooting 45.3 percent from the field.
The Hawks didn’t shoot as well from the floor and were just 4-of-20 from three-point range, which sunk their ability to claim the upset. Dennis Schroder had 23 points and six assists for Atlanta but he didn’t get enough help.
Atlanta got only 14 points from its bench, and it will need better balance the rest of the series.
Key Stat
1986. That was the last time a pair of Wizards surpassed 30 points in the same until Wall and Beal did it in this one. The duo that previously pulled it off was Jeff Malone and Cliff Robinson.
Wall shot 9-of-20 from the field while adding nine assists and five rebounds. Beal hit 12-of-27 shots and had three steals to contribute on the defensive end. This duo was Washington’s leading scorers during the regular season and they are keeping at it in the playoffs.
While Schroder is playing well, Atlanta’s backcourt is not as talented as the Wizards’ and it’s going to be tough to come back from a 2-0 deficit unless Wall and Beal can be slowed down.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Hawks are the inferior team, but there should be some desperation with the playoff series at 2-0. On the flip-side, the Wizards may relax a little bit knowing they are in the driver’s seat.
While the Wizards should have no problem winning this series, Atlanta is the pick in Game 3. Schroder should again play well, while Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard should be able to show their worth with a good performance down low.
The Hawks won’t run away with this one, but they should be able to pick up the win now that they are in front of their home fans for the first time in the postseason.
NBA Odds: Hawks 104, Wizards 100
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