Hawks vs Nuggets: Spread and Final Score Predictions

Can the Hawks win their seventh straight game tonight when they face the Nuggets at home?

Apr 6, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Seth Lundy (3) takes a shot past Denver Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji (22) and forward Peyton Watson (8) in the second half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ciaglo-Imagn Images / Michael Ciaglo-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks are looking for their seventh straight win tonight when they face the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are on the second night of a back-to-back and are coming off of a shocking loss to the Washington Wizards, a game in which three-time MVP Nikola Jokic scored 56 points (a career-high) and Denver was missing Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. The Nuggets have yet to release their injury report for tonight's game so that is certainly going to be something to keep an eye on.

The Hawks looked like they were going to lose Friday's game vs the Lakers, but the heroics of De'Andre Hunter and Trae Young propelled the Hawks to a win at home vs LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who both had incredible games. While Denver has lost three of their last five games and just lost to the Wizards, the Hawks can't let them have a "get right" game at State Farm Arena tonight. That has been a common thing with past Hawks games, but Atlanta has to make sure they avoid overlooking the Nuggets.

Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 8th in the NBA in PPG, 12th in FG%, 20th in 3PA, 21st in 3P%, 6th in FTA, 25th in turnovers, and 5th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 15th in points per 100 possessions, 18th in effective field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 7th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 11th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 28th in PPG allowed, 14th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed, and 30th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 14th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 24th in effective field goal percentage allowed. During this winning streak, the Hawks's defense has been a key part, but they played a poor defensive game against the Lakers on Friday night. Can they find a way to slow down Jokic tonight?

Trae Young continues to be one of the best playmakers in the league and is coming off his second 20-assist game of the season. His shooting has not been great this season, but he did score 31 points against the Lakers on Friday and the Nuggets defense has not been very good this season.

Dyson Daniels was having a tough offensive game on Friday vs the Lakers, but he came alive at the end and hit a clutch three point shot, a floater, and had a big steal when guarding LeBron. If Murray ends up playing tonight, Daniels will likely get that assignment.

Zaccharie Risacher continues to play well on defense and has been shooting better in recent games. He had 11 points on 5-11 shooting on Friday and had a timely steal on LeBron when it looked like he had an easy basket. Risacher is improving with each start.

Jalen Johnson is questionable for tonight's game and it would be a big loss for Atlanta, even if Denver is not fully healthy in this game. Johnson has been an All-Star level player this year and would have had a better game vs the Lakers if not for foul trouble. He still finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu are going to have their hands full with Jokic tonight. There is no way to slow down the three-time MVP, but Capela has been a good defender this year and rebounder, two key factors whenever you face Jokic. Okongwu has been the better offensive center, but Capela's skill set is going to be huge tonight vs the Nuggets.

The Hawks own a massive advantage over Denver when it comes to their bench. De'Andre Hunter has been incredible this season and is coming off of a 26-point effort against the Lakers. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 20 points, and Okongwu had 15. Last game, Quin Snyder opted to roll with Vit Krejci for the backup point guard spot over Kobe Bufkin so that is something to watch tonight.

Odds

The Hawks are 2.5 point favorites tonight against the Nuggets according to Fanduel Sportsbook and the total is 242.2.

Prediction

At some point the Hawks are going to have their winning streak snapped, but I don't know if that is going to be today. The Nuggets could be missing some starters, they are on the second night of a back to back, and Denver has not been a good or deep team this season. The injury report for both teams is going to be key tonight because it will be challenging for the Hawks if they are missing Johnson and Denver gets their guys back. That makes this game tough to predict, but I like the Hawks to find a way to win.

Final Score: Hawks 125, Nuggets 119

Additional Links:

Hawks vs Lakers: Injury Report

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