What Bettors Need Ko Know: Lakers at Hawks
By Sean Murphy
History lesson
The Lakers and Hawks will meet for the second and final time this season.
Los Angeles prevailed in their first meeting, 118-110 at Staples Center way back at the beginning of November. The Hawks managed to stay just inside the number on that night, covering as 8.5-point underdogs. The game easily sailed over the posted total of 196.5.
This will be the sixth matchup between these two since the start of 2008. The home team has won all five previous meetings and has gone 4-1 ATS.
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On paper, there’s little to choose between these two teams.
The Lakers average just a half-point more per game than the Hawks but shoot just a shade worse at 46.1 percent compared to 46.6 percent.
Defensively, it’s virtually a wash as well. The Hawks are giving up a half-point more per game than the Lakers, while L.A. has held opponents to a slightly lower shooting percentage.
The point is, if you’re going to figure out the winner in this one, you’re going to have to look beyond the numbers.
Long way home
The Lakers will be happy to head back home following this game, the final installment of a five-game in eight-night trip.
They’ve alternated good and bad performances so far, winning in San Antonio and Houston but suffering ugly defeats in Oklahoma City and most recently at New Orleans on Monday night.
That’s about par for the course for Phil Jackson’s crew. They’re just 22-15 SU and 16-20-1 ATS away from home this season.
It’s one thing to see an elite team like the Lakers struggle on a late season road trip, but when the players start talking about chemistry issues, that’s concerning. Here’s what Lamar Odom had to say following Monday’s loss:
"When we don't play defense and do the intangibles as far as basketball is concerned, it's unacceptable. Communication is lacking. The chemistry for some reason is not clicking.”
Hawks soaring
Atlanta’s recent performance may not appear all that impressive on paper. The Hawks have gone just 4-3 straight up over their last seven games.
But they managed to cover the pointspread in two of those three losses and were in a typical letdown spot in the other; playing in Philadelphia after clinching a playoff spot with a last-second win over the Orlando Magic two nights earlier.
They’ve won seven of their last 10 games overall and have posted an impressive 7-2 ATS mark over their last nine contests. This is a team focused on the task at hand right now, and that’s finishing the season strong.
"Losing games like we did in Toronto and Philadelphia the other night stings," Al Horford told reporters following Sunday’s win over Indiana. "We can't keep doing that. We have to buckle down and get ready for the playoffs. We have the Lakers (at home Wednesday) and Cleveland (on the road Friday), so we have to be ready for that jump in intensity right now anyway."
Key trends
The Lakers have dropped the cash in four of their last five matchups with Eastern Conference opponents. They have done an excellent job bouncing back from poor performances, going 5-1 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss.
The under is 27-11 in the Lakers last 38 games against teams that own .600 or better win percentages.
The Hawks are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against the West, but have done a nice job following up victories, posting a 5-1 ATS mark in their last six games after a straight up win.
The over is 12-5 in Atlanta’s last 17 games overall and for those of you that like obscure trends, the over has cashed at a 36-16-1 clip in the Hawks’ last 53 games played on a Wednesday.