Sportsbook.ag Monday NBA Betting Preview
The Hawks will be looking to avoid a three-game losing streak when they host the Warriors on Monday.
Sportsbook.ag Line:: Golden State -6.5, Total: 225.5
The Warriors responded nicely to their loss against the Blazers by beating the Clippers 115-112 as four-point favorites in Los Angeles on Saturday. Golden State was in command the entire game and would have covered if it weren't for a late run by Los Angeles. The Warriors got a bit lazy towards the end of the game and will just need to regain their focus for this one against the Hawks.
Atlanta, meanwhile, has now lost two straight games and four of its past five after losing 117-109 as an eight-point home favorite against Milwaukee on Saturday. The Hawks have turned the ball over 18.5 times per game over the past two contests and will need to take much better care of the basketball moving forward.
These two teams met twice last season and each team won-and-covered when playing at home. Over the past three seasons, though, the Warriors are 3-1 SU in this head-to-head series. One thing favoring Golden State in this game is the fact that the team is 16-7 ATS off of a road win this season. The Warriors are, however, a miserable 5-19 ATS after a combined score of 215 points or more in two straight games over the past two seasons.
The Warriors are coming off of a win over the Clippers on Saturday and PG Stephen Curry (29.7 PPG, 6.6 APG, 5.3 RPG, 2.2 SPG) struggled in that one. Curry finished the game just 5-for-15 from the field and 3-for-8 from the outside, yet, he should be able to rebound against the Hawks on Monday. He is too good of a shooter to struggle for too long and he knows that he'll need to outplay Jeff Teague in this game.
SG Klay Thompson (21.5 PPG) should have no issues getting it going on Monday. Thompson torched the Hawks last year, going for 29 points, five assists, four boards and two steals in his only meeting with the team. He is much more athletic than the guys that will be thrown at him on Monday and that should allow him to get himself open for some open shots.
PF Draymond Green (14.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.2 BPG) just may be the most important player for the Warriors in this game, though. Green is going to need to bring it defensively, as the Hawks have one of the best frontcourts in basketball. If he does not play well on that end then the Warriors just may be heading towards their second loss in three games. Offensively, the Warriors will just need more of the same from Green. He had a triple-double (18 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) against the Clippers on Saturday and is really in a zone for Golden State.
The Hawks are not playing good basketball right now, but they should be able to get up for this meeting with the Warriors on Monday. One guy that will really need to step his game up in this one is PG Jeff Teague (15.1 PPG, 5.5 APG, 1.3 SPG). Teague was lousy against the Bucks on Saturday, going 2-for-8 from the field and finishing with just five points in 18 minutes of play. He had 23 points and seven assists in 29 minutes against the Heat the game before and Atlanta will need that Teague to show up on Monday. If he does not hold his own against Stephen Curry then the Hawks have pretty much no chance of winning this one.
PF Paul Millsap (17.8 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 1.4 BPG) is another guy that has to play well in his individual matchup. Millsap can't afford to get shut down by Draymond Green or the Hawks will have too few of options offensively. He is, however, coming off of a 27-point, 11-rebound performance against the Bucks on Saturday and there is no reason to believe that he is going to play poorly in this one.
C Al Horford (15.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.5 BPG) could potentially do a lot of damage in this one. The Warriors are depleted in their frontcourt and Horford's size could be very disruptive. He will need to be a bit more aggressive near the basket and not fall in love with his midrange shot, even if that is the strongest part of his game.
