A game between the two best teams in the NBA will take place on Friday night as the Golden State Warriors will travel to Philips Arena to take on the Atlanta Hawks. The game has a start time of 7:30 pm (Eastern) and will be televised locally. Current Vegas betting odds have the Warriors listed as 2 point favorites, while the total is set at 214.5.
Analysis: The Warriors come in off a big 128-114 win over Dallas at home in a game that they trailed by 17 points after the 1st quarter. The Win now has this team at 39-8 on the year and as of now they are clearly the best team in the Western Division, if not the entire NBA. Golden State has gone 13-4-1 ATS in their last 18 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game and 40-17-1 ATS in their last 58 games overall, but just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600. The Warriors have been the best offensive squad in the league this year, ranking 1st in scoring (110.8 ppg), 1st in shooting, 2nd in 3 point shooting and 7th in FT shooting. The defense for this team has been average, ranking 15th in points allowed (99.6 ppg), 1st in defensive FG% and 3rd in 3 point defense.
A few nights ago the Atlanta Hawks had their 19 game winning streak snapped at New Orleans, but they were able to bounce right back with a 105-96 win over Washington on Wednesday night. The Hawks have been the best team in the East so far with a 41-9 record that includes a 24-3 mark at home. Atlanta has gone 11-2 ATS in their last 13 vs. the Western Conference, 22-4 ATS in their last 26 games following a ATS win and 25-8 ATS in their last 33 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record. The Hawks have been a very good offensive squad, ranking 6th in scoring (103.3 ppg), 4th in shooting, 1st in 3 point shooting and 8th in FT shooting. The defense for this team been very good, ranking 3rd in points allowed (96.5 ppg), 5th in defensive FG% and 7th in 3 point defense.
Pick: I am going to go with the Warriors i this one. Both teams have had outstanding years so far but this is still the West vs the east and I give the west the advantage here. This Warriors team looks like it is a very special team this year and while Atlanta did bounce back from their first loss in a while I just don't see them keeping pace with the more talented Warriors squad in this one. The Warriors have won the last 5 in this series outright and I expect that number to be 6 after this one in what could bvery well be a preview of the NBA Finals.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for CBB Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
Handicapping Tips: NBA Betting
Bryan Leonard and Steve Fezzik, from Pregame.com discuss some handicapping tips for betting the NBA.