There are eight games of NBA action taking place across tonight’s Saturday slate. Tipping off at 8:00 p.m. EST, the Atlanta Hawks will host the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers are off to a strong 7-2 start to the season and sit in second place in the Western Conference. Atlanta has not been as convincing, entering with a 4-5 record. Trae Young will be sidelined for at least the next month with an MCL sprain, forcing the Hawks to adjust their style of play significantly.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s matchup, the Lakers enter as 4.5-point favorites and hold -192 odds on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Hawks hold +160 odds of getting the outright victory with the game total set at 229.5 points.
This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Saturday night matchup.
Lakers vs. Hawks preview, prediction
LeBron James has yet to make his season debut, but has been cleared to resume basketball activities and should be joining this Lakers team soon. Los Angeles has done more than tread water without him and enters tonight’s game on a five-game winning streak. Their two losses came against the Warriors and Trail Blazers, while they have produced victories over the Kings, Grizzlies, Heat, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Timberwolves twice.
Luka Doncic is off to an MVP-caliber start to the season with averages of 40.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 9.2 assists across his first five games. Austin Reaves has also made the most of more offensive freedom. The Oklahoma product is averaging 31.1 points, 9.3 assists, 5.1 rebounds while getting to the free-throw line an NBA-leading 10.3 times per game. However, Reaves will miss his third consecutive game tonight with a groin injury. Deandre Ayton is pitching in 17.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while Rui Hachimura has been excellent to start the season, posting averages of 16.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 47.2% from beyond the three-point arc. Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia, Jaxson Hayes, Nick Smith Jr, Dalton Knecht, and Jarred Vanderbilt round out most of the Lakers’ depth.
Los Angeles is generating 119.6 points per game, which ranks ninth in the NBA. They lead the league in field goal percentage at 52.0% and are turning the ball over at the third-fewest times per game. Los Angeles has struggled more from the perimeter, ranking 27th in three-point attempts and 26th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 116.6 points per game, which ranks 14th. They rank seventh in offensive rating and 19th in defensive rating on the year.
Atlanta needs to adjust their style in the absence of Trae Young but have the personnel to do so. They should be a bit underwhelmed by their 4-5 start after being crowned one of the biggest winners of the NBA offseason. The Hawks have produced their victories over the Magic twice, Nets, and Pacers while coming up short at the hands of the Cavaliers, Thunder, Bulls, and Raptors twice.
Jalen Johnson has stepped up in his fifth NBA season and returned to the potential All-Star trajectory he flashed last year. The Duke product is averaging a team-high 20.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while adding 4.9 assists per game. Johnson is listed as questionable for tonight’s matchup with a quad injury. Kristaps Porzingis adds 17.6 points and 6.3 rebounds, but will miss tonight’s game due to illness management. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has made his impact felt after coming over in the offseason, averaging 17.6 points per game of his own, but also is listed as questionable with a back injury. Luke Kennard has also been ruled out due to injury. Zaccharie Risacher, Onyeka Okongwu, Dyson Daniels, and Asa Newell round out most of Atlanta’s notable depth.
The Hawks are averaging 114.4 points per game so far this season, which ranks 22nd in the NBA. They also have struggled from the perimeter, ranking 25th in three-point attempts and 25th in three-point efficiency. Defensively, they are allowing 116.4 points per game, which ranks 22nd, with opponents shooting the eight-best rate from the field and second-best three-point percentage when facing them. Atlanta is also allowing more offensive rebounds than any team in the league.
Lakers at Hawks prediction, best bet
Both these teams are already battling some pretty significant injury issues in the early parts of this season. But this will mark the second half of a back-to-back for the Hawks, while the Lakers last played on Wednesday.
Los Angeles enters on a five-game winning streak and have beat some good teams over this stretch. Four of the five victories came against teams with winning records, with the Grizzlies being the other win. The absence of Austin Reaves has not hurt them in a major way yet, even if his impact within the offense is immense. Luka Doncic has missed some games himself, but looks capable of elevating any four-man unit around him every time he is on the floor. Expect this to be the case tonight.
In contrast, the Hawks are 0-5 against teams with a winning record on the season and their four wins have come against teams with a combined 10-25 record. Their offense looks vastly different without Trae Young and they are still working through the growing pains of this. The talent level is still respectable, but the Hawks have struggled to get consistent guard play, which has stunted the effectiveness of the entire offense.
The Lakers are 7-2 against the spread on the season and have covered in each game during the five-game winning streak. Expect Doncic to masterfully control this game and produce a baseline of offense that the Hawks will struggle to match. Atlanta has some concerns on both sides of the ball and the baseline that Los Angeles has shown will give them the edge. Expect their rest advantage to be a factor and for the Lakers to extend their winning streak while covering the 4.5-point spread.
