The battle for all ten postseason spots in the Eastern Conference will go all 82 games, up and down the standings. The Atlanta Hawks have been in that race for many years, while the Washington Wizards have been out of it. Now the Wiz are looking to break into that race and find themselves above .500 for the first time in a while. Will they be able to hold their ground at home against the favored Hawks? Or will Atlanta steal the win on the road?
The Hawks enter as 2.5-point road favorites, with the game total set at 232.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here’s my prediction and best bet for this Eastern Conference matchup.
Hawks vs. Wizards Preview
The Hawks are incredibly committed to the bit. Once again, they find themselves at .500 and facing more questions than answers. The first question is: can you be anything other than mid? So far, the answer is no. They’re 18th in offensive rating and 15th in defensive rating, according to Cleaning the Glass, and have not impressed so far. Despite the talent coming in through the door, they haven’t shown they can take that next step yet.
If one player can take them to that next level, it’s Jalen Johnson. He’s been their best playmaker, scorer, and rebounder for quite some time. But that only recently affected their offense; the Hawks were 2.7 points better per 100 possessions last year, the first time in Johnson’s career. That trend hasn’t kept up early in the season. If he can’t be the engine to drive them into top-ten offense conversations, tough questions need to be asked.
Johnson will have his hands full with Anthony Davis and this Wizards defense. During the last three seasons, Washington has been in the bottom three in defensive rating. This season, they’re all the way up to eighth. They’re forcing opponents into tougher shots and getting dominant interior defense from Davis and Alex Sarr. With Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly chasing their opponents around on the perimeter, they’ve got an excellent formula going.
The question here is the offense. They’re up to respectable numbers this year and will need to sustain that if they want to compete for the playoffs. Rookie No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa will have a major say in that; if the scoring talent he showed in college translates early, they could field some dangerous offensive lineups. So far, there are definite signs that it’s translating.
Hawks vs. Wizards Pick, Best Bet
It sounds weird to say, but the Wizards have looked more cohesive early on. They have tons of length and athleticism, love to press the issue, and won’t be afraid to get physical with this Hawks team. I think they can do enough to disrupt Atlanta’s rhythm to get the win, provided that the offense can bag 110+ points.
