Two teams that made significant changes at the trade deadline will face off on Saturday night as the Washington Wizards host the Atlanta Hawks at Capital One Arena.
Despite a few recent wins, Washington is still struggling against playoff-quality teams, so I’m taking Atlanta to cover in my Hawks vs. Wizards predictions.
Keep reading to learn why I like the Hawks tonight in my free NBA picks for Saturday, February 8.
Hawks vs Wizards prediction
My best bet
Hawks -6 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
Both teams come into tonight’s game with new players who are now available after trade deadline deals. The Atlanta Hawks will have players including Caris LeVert and Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland in the lineup tonight, while the Washington Wizards add Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, among many others.
While these teams will have different looks, none of these acquisitions are the kind of the difference makers that we need to make large adjustments for in our analysis. In addition, both teams lost significant pieces in their trades: Atlanta sent De’Andre Hunter (19.0 ppg) to the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Washington sent Kyle Kuzma (15.2 ppg) to the Milwaukee Bucks, among other exits for both squads.
In other words, these teams will look very different than they did just a few days ago, which makes handicapping this game a little trickier than usual. But we can still look at the players who remain on these rosters and see that one side has a clear edge.
Atlanta may not be a serious contender, but Trae Young (23.3 ppg) is a legitimate star who can singlehandedly power an offense. Young is averaging a double-double this season, thanks to his 11.4 assists per game. The Hawks still have other weapons for Young to play off of as well, with the young Dyson Daniels (13.8 ppg) and Onyeka Okongwu (12.2 ppg) taking on larger roles in the offense thanks to injuries and the trade deadline deals.
As for Washington, this is Jordan Poole’s team. The 25-year-old shooting guard is averaging 20.8 ppg, but isn’t quite the all-around creator that Young is for the Hawks. Losing Kuzma and center Jonas Valanciunas has limited the Wizards’ options on offense, while rookie Alex Sarr (11.5 ppg) is still learning how to consistently contribute at the NBA level.
Atlanta had more talent and more experience before the trade deadline; both of those advantages persist afterwards as well. That should make an even larger difference on the second game of a back-to-back for both teams, with Washington already going 0-8 in that situation this season. I’m backing the Hawks to cover the spread as a road favorite tonight.
Hawks vs Wizards same-game parlay
Hawks -5.5
Under 237.5
Trae Young Under 28.5 points
To go along with my bet on the Hawks, I’m also going to take the Under as a part of my same-game parlay for tonight. While both teams have been trending towards the Over as of late, most of those results came against much lower totals for the Wizards, while the Hawks have been up and down in terms of scoring, posting a total of just 225 points against the Milwaukee Bucks last night. With both teams integrating new parts, this could be a slightly sloppier game with less scoring than expected.
I’ll also take Trae Young to come in Under his scoring total of 28.5 points. Young is scoring only 23.3 ppg, well below his total for tonight, and has only gone Over that number in three of his last 11 games. While Young had a burst of scoring output last week, I’m riding the longer trend with this bet.
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Hawks vs Wizards odds
Hawks vs Wizards live odds
Hawks vs Wizards opening odds
- Spread: Atlanta -6.5 (-110) | Washington +6.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Atlanta -245 | Washington +200
- Over/Under: Over 237 (-110) | Under 237 (-110)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Hawks vs Wizards spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Hawks have gone 24-28 against the spread this season, while the Wizards have posted a 21-29-1 ATS record.
- Washington is 2-1 both straight up and ATS vs. Atlanta so far this season.
- The Over holds a 30-20-2 record in Hawks games, as well as a slimmer 26-24-1 advantage when the Wizards play.
- Atlanta is playing to an average total of 235.1 ppg this season, with Washington averaging a total of 229.3 ppg.
Hawks vs Wizards trend
Atlanta is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Hawks vs. Wizards.
How to watch Hawks vs Wizards
| Location | Capital One Arena, Washington, DC |
| Date | Saturday, 2-8-2025 |
| Tip-off | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Monumental Sports Network, FDSNE-ATL |
Hawks vs Wizards latest injuries
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