Atlanta is once again hoping to avoid getting blown out as they head into Phoenix as 9.5 point underdogs for a date with the Suns. The Hawks did win the first meeting of the season 129-120 back in early February, but since then they’ve lost a bunch of players to injuries, including their leader and best player Trae Young who had 32 points and 15 assists in that game. With Young out of the line-up the Hawks have hovered around the .500 mark with 8 wins and 9 losses, however they have just 1 win in their last 5 games in this scenario. We just saw them lose to the Lakers 136-105, only because they lack the offensive firepower to compete with teams who score a lot of points. Phoenix is certainly one of those teams, so it could be a long night for Atlanta here.
Grayson Allen was the unlikely hero for the Suns last night as he dropped 32 points, including 9 threes in a 115-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a much needed bounce back win for the Suns who dropped a tough one on the road in Milwaukee on Sunday. They’re looking to go on a mini run here towards the end of the season, the 6th seeded Kings are just a half game back so it would be great if they could maintain pressure on them with another win here. The big 3 of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker is healthy and playing well, Phoenix has 12 wins in the last 16 home games against Atlanta. Booker in particular loves playing against them, he’s averaging 31.3 points per game in the last 3 meetings.
