Brooklyn Nets vs. Atlanta Hawks – NBA, Friday, December 10, 2021

The Brooklyn Nets will square off with the Atlanta Hawks for the second time this season. Brooklyn held off a fourth-quarter rally from the Hawks to win 1117-108 on November 3.

This will be their first meeting at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The Hawks could use a big win as they look to move into the top six in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn would like to stay in the top spot.

Let’s check the odds for Friday night’s matchup with SportsBetting.ag.

I’m surprised to see the Brooklyn Nets as the underdog. This is the third time this season they aren’t the favorite. Brooklyn lost to the Milwaukee Bucks on opening night but defeated the Boston Celtics on November 24.

Overall, Brooklyn hasn’t had much success against the spread. They’re 10-15 this season and have failed to cover in seven of their last nine games.

The Nets are also 10-15 on the point total, hitting the under in five of their last six games.

They failed to cover in 10 of their first 13 games. Since then, they’ve covered in eight of their last 12 games. Not as much clarity with the point total.

Brooklyn is reasonably healthy, but the Hawks are missing major contributors like Bogdan Bogdanovic and DeAndre Hunter. Cam Reddish is likely to return from a wrist injury that has held him out for nearly two weeks.

Before my game pick, let’s take a look at both teams.

It almost seems like the Brooklyn Nets are a bit underrated early in the season. They came into the season as the favorite to win the NBA Finals, and they have the fourth-best record in the NBA.

Still, it seems like the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns receive all the attention. All three teams are among the top contenders to win the NBA Finals, but the Nets remain the favorite.

A win is a win at the end of the day, but you’d like to see more separation, especially against teams like the Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

It’s a bit discouraging that the Nets have lost two of their last three games. It would’ve been three straight losses if not for a 17-point comeback against the Dallas Mavericks.

When the Nets defeated the Hawks in November, Kevin Durant was the leading scorer with 32 points. However, I’m more interested in Joe Harris’ performance.

What’s important to note here is Harris won’t play in this game. He suffered an ankle injury a few weeks ago that will hold him out for most of the season. Luckily, the Nets will have a much better James Harden.

Harden didn’t do much in that matchup, but he has been cooking lately.

He has cleared 20 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in five of his last seven games. He has put his early-season struggles behind him.

Brooklyn will need him to step up alongside Durant if they want to take down the Hawks.

After making a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, the Atlanta Hawks didn’t have a great start to the season.

Following a 3-1 start, the Hawks lost eight of their next nine games. Since then, Atlanta has looked like one of the best teams in the NBA.

They went on a seven-game win streak and have won nine of their last 12 games. Check out some of their quality wins in that stretch.

Unlike the Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta is winning convincingly. In their latest stretch, only one of their wins came by less than ten points. That’s an impressive feat no matter who you’re playing.

In Atlanta’s loss to the Nets earlier this season, DeAndre Hunter was on fire.

He knocked down all six of his three points on his way to a team-high 26 points. Unfortunately, we won’t see that again, as Hunter continues to recover from a wrist injury. That puts more of the responsibility on Trae Young.

Similar to James Harden, Young didn’t have a great start to the season. In his last eight games, he has been one of the top players in the league.

He has been unstoppable with four straight double-doubles.

Brooklyn’s defense ranks just outside the top 10, but they’ll have their hands full with him.

Can Young lead his team to a big victory? Let’s see which side I’m going with for Friday night’s game.

I surprised myself with this pick, but the Atlanta Hawks look like the better team lately. The Brooklyn Nets have had way too close games for me to trust them against an elite team.

On the point total, I like the under, but two elite teams can always put up a lot of points. I have more faith in the Hawks at (-1.5).

Now that you have the breakdown, it’s on you to make your selection. Fans can tune into this game Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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