The Atlanta Hawks were one of the best teams in NBA betting online last year but in the playoffs they lost again and that lack of playoff success cost head coach Mike Woodson his job. The Hawks decided to go with Larry Drew as their new head coach and it will be interesting to see how he does. The Hawks may not win as many games this season in NBA betting but their ultimate success will be judged on how they do in the playoffs
Last Year’s Record 53-29 SU, 48-34 ATS
The Atlanta Hawks were excellent last season both straight up and against the spread. The Hawks were a solid defensive team and that is one of the things that are going to change. Drew is not a defensive coach so look for higher scoring games this season in Atlanta.
Projected Starting Lineup
Guard – Mike Bibby
Guard – Joe Johnson
Center – Al Horford
Forward – Marvin Williams
Forward – Josh Smith
Prediction:
The Hawks are led by Joe Johnson and Al Horford. They are going to have some nights where Johnson is great and they win easily while on other nights he will struggle and the team will struggle. What will be interesting to see his how the pace of the game changes. Josh Smith can get up and down the court and we know that Johnson wants to run and gun. And not to be forgotten is the best sixth man in the league in Jamal Crawford who won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season. Crawford did not get a new deal in the off-season and this is the last year of his contract. The Hawks can almost always depend upon Horford who simply puts up a double-double on most nights. He is very difficult to contain for opposing teams and he always shows up. The Hawks need Jeff Teague to play well because Bibby has seen his best days.
The early part of the season is going right along with what we have predicted. The Hawks are scoring more points but they are not covering the spread as often. Atlanta started off the season at 3-0 straight up but just 1-2 against the NBA betting online. Number at the Sbg global sportsbook. The Hawks are not playing defense and that is a cause for concern if you are considering them in NBA betting.