Hawks vs Raptors 26.Nov
The Hawks are 7-5. Looks solid, but if you go into details and look the games they have won, it becomes clear that this record is not impressive at all. Up until last night they have beat the following teams: IND, NYK (2x), UTA, MIA (playing without Wade) and DET. Last night they managed to beat the Wizards and that could be considered as their first meaningful victory. At the same time the Hawks have lost almost every single game when playing against strong or above the average opponents. 5 losses include TOR, SAS, NOP, CLE and even LAL. Shortly, the Hawks are losing games against good teams and manage to win the games they should.
The Raptors are 12-2 and deserve that impressive record. As of now they are the best team in the Eastern Conference. Current 5-game winning streak also includes wins against the Grizzlies and the Cavaliers + blowouts against the Jazz and the Bucks. What the Raptors have done exceptionally well this season has been taking care of average or below average teams. With Lowry and DeRozan arguably top 3 backcourt at the moment, Valanciunas playing at his career best and supporting cast filling up their roles Toronto clearly has a upperhand against the Hawks.
Atlanta will play this game as back-to-back, while the Raptors come to play after having 1 rest day. Fresh legs should help the Raptors a lot here. The zone where Toronto is at the moment is something special and they should be considered as much bigger favorites to win this game. Take the Raptors -3.5 points with 3/5 units.
GL