The Golden State Warriors will take the court with heavy hearts tonight, as they will play their first game since the tragic passing of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic when they host the Atlanta Hawks.
Milojevic suffered a heart attack at a team dinner last Tuesday before passing away the following morning, prompting the NBA to postpone two straight games for the Warriors. But tonight, they return to action against a Hawks team that will be without leading scorer Trae Young.
How will the Dubs respond after a long break and dealing with the emotions of the recent loss of Milojevic? I break down the NBA odds and bring you my best bet plus a same-game parlay in my NBA picks and predictions for Hawks vs. Warriors on Wednesday, January 24.
Hawks vs Warriors odds
Hawks vs Warriors predictions
Prior to the passing of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, the Golden State Warriors were not playing good basketball. They had lost four of their last five games overall and eight of their last 11, going 5-6 against the spread, and now sit in 12th place in the Western Conference.
Golden State’s level of play on both sides of the ball has been disappointing to this point. Even though the defense has been worse, it’s always a little jarring to see a team with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson rank 13th in offensive rating.
That said, I think the Dubs are in a good spot to put on a solid performance against the visiting Atlanta Hawks.
For starters, the Hawks will be without star point guard Trae Young, who will be missing his second straight game due to a concussion. But for our betting purposes, the more important thing here is that Atlanta is a poor defensive team.
The Hawks' strategy is to outscore you, and that gets a little more difficult without Young running the offense. And not having his scoring means you can’t cover up as many holes on the defensive end of the floor. That’s a problem because Atlanta ranks 26th in defensive rating and next-to-last in opponent effective field goal percentage.
One of the Hawks' biggest weak spots is on the perimeter. They rank 24th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage and 23rd in opponent made threes at 13.6 allowed per contest.
That is not a recipe for success against a team with the Splash Brothers. While Curry and Thompson might not be at the height of their powers anymore, the Warriors still take and make the fourth-most 3s per game.
The Hawks surrender 122.4 points per game. I’m betting the Warriors are motivated to get a win in this big emotional spot and will let it rain from downtown. Take them to eclipse their team total of 120.5.
My best bet: Warriors team total Over 120.5 (-115 at DraftKings)
Hawks vs Warriors same-game parlay
Warriors team total Over 120.5
Klay Thompson Over 3.5 threes
Dejounte Murray Over 7.5 assists
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As per usual, our same-game parlay for this NBA nightcap starts with my best bet, which for this matchup is the Warriors to go Over their team total of 120.5. Part of the reason I think they’ll get there is because I like Thompson to let it fly tonight.
Thompson was on fire from beyond the arc before the team’s collective leave. Thompson has upped his output to 9.9 threes per contest over his last seven games, hitting 42.1% of those attempts and hitting four or more treys four times in that stretch. I'll take him to hit four again tonight in this juicy matchup against the Hawks.
Let’s close this SGP out with a Dejounte Murray prop. Murray has seen his usage go way up in games where Young doesn’t play, as he becomes the Hawks' primary playmaker. He is averaging nine assists per game in four games without Young this season. The Warriors are a middle-of-the-pack team when it comes to opponent assists, ranking 12th in the NBA.
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Hawks vs Warriors spread and Over/Under analysis
The Warriors opened this game as 7-point home favorites with the Hawks seeing the early action, moving the line to Golden State -6.5 as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Warriors are struggling when they were sizeable favorites, going 0-7-1 ATS in their last eight games when favored by six or more points. But I think the Dubs will be motivated tonight, and they are just a bad matchup for the Hawks, made worse by the fact they won’t have Young. I’d have a slight lean toward laying the points with Golden State at home.
When it comes to the total, that hit the board at 233 and has been bet up to 235.5. While I like the Warriors to go Over their team total in this one, I’m not ready to jump on the full game total at this new number.
Atlanta is averaging a meager 114 points per game without Young this season and put up just 107 in Monday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings, which helped the game fall well below its total of 237.5. In fact, the Hawks' sputtering offense has put them on a bit of an Under run, cashing the Under in seven consecutive games.
Hawks vs Warriors betting trend to know
The Warriors have hit the Game Total Over in 21 of their last 31 games for +10 units. Find more NBA betting trends for Hawks vs. Warriors.
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Hawks vs Warriors game info
| Location: | Chase Center, San Francisco, CA |
| Date: | Wednesday, January 24, 2024 |
| Tip-off: | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Bally Sports Southeast-Atlanta, NBC Sports Bay Area |
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