The Hawks have been one of my favorite teams to watch this year. Coming in with low expectations, the squad has shown exciting flashes of a hyper-competitive roster. The wings on Atlanta have been the highlights. Jalen Johnson has broken out as a star, with the number one pick, Zaccharie Risacher showing some tremendous early talent. Additionally, the emergence of Dyson Daniels as one of the best defensive guards in the league was not on my bingo card either. This team has been a delightful surprise in an Eastern Conference desperate for competitive teams.
This will be the second time they’ve faced the Lakers this year. The first game ended in a clutch overtime victory for the Hawks in Atlanta. Hopefully, we'll have a close game like that, but I’m doubtful.
Atlanta is catching the Lakers at a good time on the second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers faced Portland in a close game that kept LeBron on the court the entire game. He did look amazing against Portland, putting up 38 points, but 36 minutes isn’t going to do him any favors in tonight's matchup.
Overall, Atlanta lines up very well against the Lakers. The Lakers will be in a tough spot if Trae and Johnson are available tonight. The Lakers don’t have a point-of-attack defender that can meaningfully slow Trae down, and Johnson can be a nightmare for LeBron. He won’t stop LeBron, but if he can slow him down enough, the Lakers will struggle to find points.
The biggest challenge for Atlanta will be Anthony Davis if he’s available. He missed last night's game but seems likely to play tonight. Atlanta may struggle to slow AD down with just Capela and Onyeka Okongwu in the post. With how well AD has played, he’ll be the most significant swing factor of the matchup.
Regardless, the Hawks have an excellent chance to win on the road tonight. They have the depth and defensive players to challenge LA all night. Atlanta could run away with it if LA comes in a little groggy from last night's matchup.
The Lakers have been looking better. They’ve picked up a couple of key wins and are slowly ascending the rankings again after a December slide. They did make some recent moves, sending D’Lo to Brooklyn for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. This is a fairly minor move in the big picture, but it may add some much-needed depth to this roster.
LA has been a team in flux. They have the talent to win big in the West, but availability has been their biggest weakness. AD and LeBron have been doing their best, but they’ve missed games here and there this season. Without those two, it’s a struggle to win games.
AD was absent last night during a matchup against the Blazers. So LeBron had to play 36 minutes to pull out an eight point win over Portland. It’s games like that where they can’t afford to wear LeBron out on a bottom-tier team in the West.
The matchup against the Hawks is coming at a bad time. The fact they’re on the second night of a back-to-back against a physical Hawks squad is not ideal. They’ve already dropped a game to the Hawks this year, and this game feels like it could be a schedule loss. Especially if they’re without AD again tonight, the Laker's role players would have to catch on fire to win this one.
Dyson Daniels will be a real problem tonight. Reaves has been solid as the third option this year, but against Daniels, his production could fall off a cliff.
Overall, I think the Lakers fold in this game. I don’t expect LeBron to have his legs under him after such a challenging game yesterday, and AD’s availability scares me. Getting some plus money on the Hawks feels like the safer bet.
Lakers Injuries:
Gabe Vincent Questionable
Anthony Davis Questionable
Christian Wood Questionable
Jalen Hood-Schifino Questionable
Jarred Vanderbilt Out
Hawks Injuries:
Cody Zeller Out
Trae Young Questionable
Jalen Johnson Questionable
Bogdan Bogdanovic Out
Mouhamed Gueye Out
Larry Nance Jr Out
Spread: +2.5 ATL (-112) / -2.5 LAL (-108)
Total Points: 231.5
Moneyline: AT: (+114) / LAL (-135)
LeBron James Under 24.5 Points(-110)
Austin Reaves Double Double Yes (+170)
Trae Young Over 3.5 Rebounds (+120)
Jalen Johnson Over 1.5 Steals (+124)