Hawks vs Nets: Spread and Final Score Predictions

Will the Hawks defeat the Nets tonight in their season opener?

Oct 14, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) drives past Philadelphia 76ers guard Kyle Lowry (7) in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Atlanta Hawks Basketball is finally back.

After six months since their last meaningful game, the Hawks are going to take the court tonight and are set to be one of the most interesting teams in the NBA. Atlanta had an exciting preseason, but now the games actually count.

The opponent for the new-look Hawks squad tonight is going to be the Brooklyn Nets, the team with the lowest projected win total in the NBA heading into the season. Brooklyn underwent a lot of changes this offseason, most notably trading Mikal Bridges to the Knicks and getting their draft picks back from Houston. While Brooklyn might have their eyes on the 2025 NBA Draft all season, that does not mean that they cannot play spoiler.

There is no doubt about who the more talented team is on paper.

Trae Young is coming off of his most injury filled season, but now he is the center piece once again for the Hawks. He looked mostly like himself in the preseason and against what I think is going to be a poor defense for the Nets, it could be a big night for Young.

I would expect Dyson Daniels to start alongside Young tonight, as he did in the preseason. It was a pretty solid preseason for Daniels and he is likely going to be tasked with guarding Nets guard Cam Thomas tonight. Thomas is a streaky scorer, but he can get hot any given night and if the Hawks lose this game, Thomas has probably had a big night. Daniels is going to be asked to shoot the three and be an elite defender on the perimeter, which he showed in the preseason.

The starting small forward spot is going to be a talking point all season. Zaccharie Risacher was fantastic in the preseason, but will Quin Snyder elect to start him this early? It would not surprise me to see De'Andre Hunter in tonight's lineup, but keep an eye on this throughout the season.

In two preseason games, Risacher averaged 16 PPG, 5 RPG, and 1.7 APG on 60% shooting and 44% from three. He had a 129.4 Offensive Rating and was second on the team this preseason amongst qualified Hawks in PER (player efficiency rating) with a 23.2 PER, behind only Jalen Johnson.

Speaking of Johnson, he is now a long term cornerstone for the Hawks after signing his extension before the season and I think he is in for a big year.

Johnson played in three of the Hawks four preseason and averaged 16.9 PPG in 23 minutes per game on 69% shooting and 87% shooting from three, as well as 7.3 RPG. Now of course that kind of three point shooting can't be expected this season, but it just goes to show how impressive that Johnson has been this preseason.

Now he was not perfect. He did average four turnovers per game (way too high) and I would like to see his assist numbers go up and see him become more of a second creator next to Trae Young, but that is nitpicking. 

Onyeka Okongwu played in the Hawks last preseason game and played well, but will he start over Clint Capela tonight and going forward? That is another thing to watch this season.

Looking at Brooklyn, the Hawks are the more talented team, but the Nets do have good players. While they might have the lowest win total to start the year, some of the reason for that low number is the fact that Brooklyn has the potential to make trades later. For now, they have good NBA players that if given the chance can have a big night.

Thomas is the guy on Brooklyn to watch. He is by far the best scorer and shot creator on the team and is going to have the ball in his hands a lot. For Brooklyn to win, he is likely going to have to score in the 30's.

Dennis Schroder, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Nic Claxton are the other projected starters for Brooklyn.

The wild card in this game is Ben Simmons. He has not played much over the past few seasons, but he is healthy coming into the game. What will he be able to provide the Nets tonight and is there a chance he looks like the guy that was an All-NBA player early in his career? Probably not, but it is worth watching.

With Bojan Bogdanovic and Day'Ron Sharpe out, the Nets bench is going to be thin and that is where the Hawks have a massive advantage.

Odds

The Hawks are going to be favorites at home tonight according to Fanduel Sportsbook. Atlanta will be a 6.5-point favorite against the Nets and the total is set for 222.5.

Final Score Prediction

If the Hawks' defense is as improved as I think it might be, they should win this game. The best path to victory for the Nets is for Thomas to have a big night, but even if he were to score 30 or more tonight, what is Brooklyn going to get from their bench? I think that is where the Hawks are going to have a massive advantage and I like the Hawks to win and cover tonight.

Final Score: Hawks 117, Nets 105