The Atlanta Hawks needed a convincing win to consider themselves back in their first-round series against the Washington Wizards, and that’s exactly what they got in Game 3. The Hawks now have a chance to even up the series in a critical Game 4.
The Wizards are the higher seed and won the first two games and would love to pick this one up to take total control. While Atlanta won easily last time out, this one should be much closer.
There has been a war of words between these teams through the first three games, so the intensity should be high in this matchup.
This war on the floor will go down Monday, April 24, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. 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 Monday schedule.
NBA Odds
The Hawks were 2.5-point favorites in Game 3 and easily covered in a 116-98 victory. The scoring total was set at 211 and it went “over” as Atlanta scored at will throughout the contest.
The Wizards are 51-34 straight up and 44-40-1 against the spread. Washington is 19-22-1 against the spread on the road this season. The Wizards have covered in half of their 34 games as the underdog this season.
Atlanta is 44-41 straight up and 40-45 against the spread. The Hawks have covered in 18 of 42 games on the season. Atlanta is just 22-32 against the spread as the favorite but did do well last time out.
Last Time Out
The Hawks jumped out to a 38-20 lead after the first quarter and was never really challenged the rest of the way. Paul Millsap had 29 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in the contest to lead Atlanta.
Dennis Schroder was also very good, adding 27 points and nine assists. Washington’s John Wall tried his best to keep the Wizards in the game, finishing with 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting and seven assists. Bradley Beal was good in the first two games but struggled in this one, finishing with only 12 points on 6-of-20 from the field. He missed all six of his three-point attempts.
Atlanta shots 49 percent from the field while the Wizards were held to only 41.6 percent from the field and 24 percent from three-point range.
Matchup To Watch
Millsap vs. Markieff Morris -- The Hawks’ star forward has gotten into a war of words with Morris, the power forward for the Wizards. After the first game of the series, Millsap claimed that the Wizards were using a physical style reminiscent of mixed martial arts, which the Wizards didn’t appreciate.
After the third game, Morris called Millsap a ‘crybaby’ and it will be interesting to see if there are any altercations on the court in Game 4. Millsap has been the much better player in this series, averaging 25 points per game. Morris had only three points in the third game and while he isn’t needed to score a bunch with Wall and Beal around, he can’t play this badly.
Free NBA ATS Pick
This series has gotten entertaining, and it looks like it could go for awhile. The Hawks dominated last time out and seemed to have found a nice groove.
Since they are at home again, they will be favored. Take Atlanta to once again cover the spread, although this one will be hard-earned. Beal will play better in Game 3 but the Hawks have enough contributors to claim this one and even up the series. If the scoring total comes in around the same area as in Game 3, choose the “under” as the Hawks won’t shoot this well again.
NBA Odds: Hawks 100, Wizards 94
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