by Chuck Sommers
Sunday, Jan 09, 2022
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Where to watch: BSSC, BSSE-ATL
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Hawks -5
BetMGM: Hawks -5.5
Caesars: NL
Season record
Hawks: 17-21 (12th place, Eastern Conference)
Clippers: 19-21 (9th place, Western Conference)
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Hawks - Clippers preview and analysis
Recent form
Hawks: lost 134-118 at Lakers on Friday
Clippers: lost 106-89 at Suns on Thursday
The Atlanta Hawks will wrap up a stay in Southern California on Sunday when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.
Atlanta would likely prefer for this matinee in Los Angeles to go better than its affair on Friday evening. The Hawks were run out of the building formerly known as Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers, led by a big performance from a red-hot LeBron James.
Trae Young struggled to shoot the ball but finished with a team-high 25 points to go along with 14 assists and finished one rebound shy of a triple-double. John Collins had 21 points and eight rebounds, while Bogdan Bogdanovic had 15 points on four 3-pointers. That's normally a successful evening on any given night for the Hawks; this night was just the Lakers' destiny.
Atlanta not only gave up 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds to LeBron, but Malik Monk scored a career-high 29 points on seven made 3-pointers while going 11 for 20 from the floor. Even Avery Bradley resurrected from the dead to score 21 points on an efficient 8 of 11 shooting night; the Lakers, overall, came close to 50 percent.
"We've got to do a better job," Atlanta interim coach Joe Prunty said, who was in place of coach Nate McMillan due to health and safety protocol. "Because in a game like tonight, you have a guy like Malik Monk and Avery Bradley who weren't necessarily causing the problems, but they were getting the benefits. We need to be better defensively."
The Atlanta Hawks will wrap up a stay in Southern California on Sunday when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.
Atlanta would likely prefer for this matinee in Los Angeles to go better than its affair on Friday evening. The Hawks were run out of the building formerly known as Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers, led by a big performance from a red-hot LeBron James.
Trae Young struggled to shoot the ball but finished with a team-high 25 points to go along with 14 assists and finished one rebound shy of a triple-double. John Collins had 21 points and eight rebounds, while Bogdan Bogdanovic had 15 points on four 3-pointers. That's normally a successful evening on any given night for the Hawks; this night was just the Lakers' destiny.
Atlanta not only gave up 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds to LeBron, but Malik Monk scored a career-high 29 points on seven made 3-pointers while going 11 for 20 from the floor. Even Avery Bradley resurrected from the dead to score 21 points on an efficient 8 of 11 shooting night; the Lakers, overall, came close to 50 percent.
"We've got to do a better job," Atlanta interim coach Joe Prunty said, who was in place of coach Nate McMillan due to health and safety protocol. "Because in a game like tonight, you have a guy like Malik Monk and Avery Bradley who weren't necessarily causing the problems, but they were getting the benefits. We need to be better defensively."
Defense has been an issue for the Hawks as a whole this season, giving up 111.6 points per game which is ranked 25th in the league. The Hawks are also giving up a lot from 3-point range; the 35.7 percent of threes they're allowing is 23rd in the league. For as good as Atlanta's offense has been (111.3 points per game, 7th best in the NBA), the defense has offset that production.
But if the Hawks are to have an opponent that will make things a bit easier on them at the defensive end, it could very well be the struggling/shorthanded Clippers. Los Angeles has lost four of five and is playing the second game of a back-to-back after losing 123-108 to the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
To be fair, losing to the Grizzlies right now should be expected, no matter who they're playing. With a Clippers team that doesn't have Paul George or Kawhi Leonard, it's almost expected. Marcus Morris led the way with 29 points on 9 of 17 shooting, but no one else could contribute offensively. Reggie Jackson had 18 points, but the Clippers shot 40 percent from the floor.
Safe to say the Clippers did not take advantage of playing the Grizzlies without Ja Morant.
"With the lineups switching always. I agree that our effort and physicality and coming out here feeling like we're just getting pushed around," Jackson said. "We're going to have to get physical, we're going to have to find ways to screen guys harder and do anything to keep guys off the offensive glass."
The Clippers' straight-up run has matched what they've done against the spread; 2-5 in their last seven in both.
But if the Hawks are to have an opponent that will make things a bit easier on them at the defensive end, it could very well be the struggling/shorthanded Clippers. Los Angeles has lost four of five and is playing the second game of a back-to-back after losing 123-108 to the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
To be fair, losing to the Grizzlies right now should be expected, no matter who they're playing. With a Clippers team that doesn't have Paul George or Kawhi Leonard, it's almost expected. Marcus Morris led the way with 29 points on 9 of 17 shooting, but no one else could contribute offensively. Reggie Jackson had 18 points, but the Clippers shot 40 percent from the floor.
Safe to say the Clippers did not take advantage of playing the Grizzlies without Ja Morant.
"With the lineups switching always. I agree that our effort and physicality and coming out here feeling like we're just getting pushed around," Jackson said. "We're going to have to get physical, we're going to have to find ways to screen guys harder and do anything to keep guys off the offensive glass."
The Clippers' straight-up run has matched what they've done against the spread; 2-5 in their last seven in both.
Prediction
The Clippers have been able to score; they've put up 100 points in four of their last five. The problem is they're also giving up a ton of points at the other end. Give Young some room to operate, and the Hawks are in a position to go for at least 120 in this game. Give me Atlanta fairly easily. Hawks by 14
Betting trends
The Hawks are 5-14 ATS over the past three seasons when playing their third road game in five days.
The Hawks are 8-13 ATS on the road this season.
The Clippers are 3-8 ATS in non-conference games this season.
Projected starting lineup
Hawks:
PG: Trae Young
SG: Bogdan Bogdanovic
SF: Kevin Huerter
PF: John Collins
C: Clint Capela
SF: Kevin Huerter
PF: John Collins
C: Clint Capela
Clippers:
PG: Reggie Jackson
SG: Eric Bledsoe
SF: Marcus Morris Sr.
PF: Nicolas Batum
C: Ivica Zubac
SF: Marcus Morris Sr.
PF: Nicolas Batum
C: Ivica Zubac
Key injuries
Hawks: None
Clippers: Paul George (elbow, out), Kawhi Leonard (ACL, out), Luke Kennard (COVID, out),
Clippers: Paul George (elbow, out), Kawhi Leonard (ACL, out), Luke Kennard (COVID, out),
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
