Game Time: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, December 10th, 2021 

Venue:  State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

Where to Watch: ESPN

DraftKings:  Spread:  NL

BetMGM:  Spread:  NL

VegasInsider:  Spread:  NL

Nets: 17-8, 1st place Eastern Conference

Hawks: 13-12, 8th place Eastern Conference

There is something we need to remember about the NBA… Whatever team has Kevin Durant will be a good team.  Whether they are playing in Barclays Center or on the road, no team has a perfect enough defense to stop Durant from scoring.  Add in former MVP James Harden and now you have a legitimate super team… if only they had a third star?... That would be something to see. Of course that doesn’t make the Nets bullet proof from losing… They lost their last game to the tragic Houston Rockets 114-104 as Kevin Durant took a game off to rest, before that they had a win over the one-note Dallas Mavericks and their portly Euro-star. Before that the Nets lost to the surging and proud Chicago Bulls 111-107.  Bettors are scratching their heads and muttering about Brooklyn needing momentum for the playoffs, which are months and months away.  The Nets themselves will tell you that the grind of the NBA season will have been worthless without a trip (and even a win) to the NBA Finals.

The Hawks also have a superstar scorer in point guard Trae Young, but the NCAAB legend doesn’t guarantee wins… he needs a fully healthy and deeply talented team around him to bring home the wins.  The last month (November) of NBA action has sidelined a lot of Hawks with injury… like Deandre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic… who would be starters in a healthy world… plus Cam Reddish is off and on the injured list and if healthy for a full season he could contend for most improved or sixth man of the year given his recent improvement.  Atlanta won their last game over the Minnesota Timberwolves to prevent a three-game losing streak, having lost to the Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers in the two games prior.

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Brooklyn is 17-8 on the season, but 10-15 ATS.  They have logged 10 Overs and 15 Unders.  They are a very tough 9-3 in road games.  Kyrie Irving is still sitting in the corner, wearing a dunce cap and holding his breath… but the Nets have managed very well.

Atlanta is 13-12 on the season, but 11-14 ATS.  They have notched 13 Overs and 12 Unders.  They play their best ball on the home court with an 8-4 record in home games.

The Nets are 10th in the NBA in PTS with 109.0 per, 17th in rebounds with 44.8 per, 6th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8.  They shoot the ball with amazing precision landing 8th in FG%, 10th in 3PT%, and 5th in FT%... Top ten in all three categories is the mark of a great shooting team.

The Hawks are 7th in the NBA in scoring with 111 points per game, 6th in rebounds with 46.3 per game, and 3rd in AST/TO ratio with 2.0… all good stats and all a bit higher than the Nets!  However, it’s the defensive numbers that let this team down (a symptom of missing Deandre Hunter… where the hawks are 20th in defending points by allowing 108.5, 19th in defending FG%, and 16th in defending shots from beyond the arc…. If getting healthy brings better defense and this team can get healthy… They will be ready for another real Eastern Conference run in the playoffs.  That is an if… if they feel they can’t get everyone healthy then a trade for a defensive stopper at guard (Marcus Smart, Patrick Beverley) is in order.

 

Our prediction for Friday, December 10th is….  Nets 118 - Hawks 106

Both teams will shoot well, but the Hawks defense will fold in the end. Nets win and bet the Over if the point total is set at 222 or less.

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The Hawks are 2-1 versus the Nets at Atlanta over the last 3 seasons.

3 of 3 (ALL) of these games have gone Over the last 3 seasons.

Atlanta is 4-4 ATS versus Brooklyn over the last 3 seasons.

6 of 8 of these games have gone Over the last 3 seasons.

Nets: SG Joe Harris (ankle) Questionable ** PG Kyrie Irving (tantrum) Out indefinitely

Hawks: SF Solomon Hill (hamstring) Out for season ** SG Bogdan Bogdanovic (foot) Out ** SF Cam Reddish (illness) Questionable ** PF Deandre Hunter (wrist) Out ** PF Onyeka Okongwu (shoulder) Out

Nets: F Kevin Durant, F DeAndre Bembry, C Nick Claxton, G Patty Mills, G James Harden

Hawks: F Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, F John Collins, C Clint Capela, Kevin Huerter, G Trae Young

Nets

Points: Kevin Durant 28.4

Assists: James Harden 9.6

Rebounds: James Harden 8.0

Steals: James Harden 1.4

Blocks: LaMarcus Aldridge 1.1

Hawks

Points: Trae Young 26.3

Assists: Trae Young 9.4

Rebounds: Clint Capela 12.7

Steals: Cam Reddish 1.1

Blocks: Clint Capela 1.4

Nets: Steve Nash.  NBA legend, two-time NBA MVP, set the pace of every game he ever played.  Rookie head coach, treading water.

Hawks: Nate McMillan.  Coach McMillan is a Seattle Supersonics legend, playing his entire career with the team that disappeared in city and name… though the fans of Denver, Phoenix, Detroit, Knicks… they all remember him shutting down their scorer on the defensive end… In fact he is the player his team needs if anyone could locate a time machine.