Suns vs Hawks Picks and Predictions: Backing the Hawks, Trae or Not

The Phoenix Suns are the hottest team in the NBA right now, as they head into Thursday night’s meeting with the Atlanta Hawks on an 11-game winning streak.

The Suns have also won 14 of their last 15 games, and they’re facing a Hawks team that still hasn’t received confirmation that Trae Young will play through a shoulder injury. 

Will Phoenix roll into State Farm Arena and easily pick up its 12th win in a row? Continue reading our NBA betting picks and predictions for Suns vs. Hawks to find out.

Suns vs Hawks odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

The Suns opened as 5-point favorites against the Hawks, but they’re now laying only 4.5 on most sportsbooks. Meanwhile, the total opened at 224.5 in this game and it’s mostly staying put at that number, but one book has it at 225.5. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Suns vs Hawks predictions

• Prediction: Hawks +5 (-110)
• Prediction: Over 223 (-110)
• Best bet: Paul Over 15.5 points (-122)

Predictions made on 2/03/2022 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Suns vs Hawks game info

• Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Date: Thursday, February 3, 2022
• Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT

Suns vs Hawks betting preview

Injuries

Suns: Landry Shamet G (Probable), Cameron Payne G (Out), Dario Saric F (Out).
Hawks: Trae Young G (Questionable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Hawks are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games. Find more NBA betting trends for Suns vs. Hawks.

Suns vs Hawks picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

Young hasn’t played since he had 36 points in 37 minutes in a 129-121 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, and his status is very much in question here. Young recently said that he is in a lot of pain and hasn’t done much shooting, but it does seem like there’s a chance he’ll go out and try to play tonight. And it also seems as though the line on this game strongly suggests that he’ll be out there. Regardless, the Hawks have a good chance of hanging around with or without him. 

The home team has actually won and covered in each of the last six games that these two have played against one another, and we’ve already seen that the Hawks can be competitive without Young. They should have beaten the Toronto Raptors when the two clashed earlier in the week, and this Atlanta team has now had a few days off to prepare for a Phoenix team that is being pushed to the brink on a nightly basis. 

The Suns are going to run out of magic at some point in the near future, as it’s just unrealistic to expect them to go out and play at this high of a level every night. 

On top of that, this Hawks team is actually one that matches up pretty well with the Suns, as Atlanta has guys like Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic to space the floor, and the team also has a big wing defender in De’Andre Hunter to handle one of the many difficult assignments Phoenix has on offense. Also, Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu is one of the best center duos that the Suns will face all year, so this team shouldn’t get outplayed in the paint by much. On top of that, Huerter is a very underrated defender and could make things tough on Devin Booker.

Atlanta happens to be 32-18 ATS when coming off a home game since Nate McMillan took over as the team’s head coach, and the Hawks have won those games by an average of 5.1 points per game. And over the last three seasons, the Hawks are 32-17 ATS when playing at home against an opponent that beat them and scored more than 110 points earlier in the year. Back them again tonight.

Prediction: Hawks +5 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

Over the last two seasons, the Over is 39-24 when Phoenix is favored by 3.5 to 9.5 points and it’s also 34-19 when the Suns have played against teams from the Eastern Conference. This one has all the makings of a high-scoring affair, with Phoenix being second in the league in offensive rating over the course of its 11-game winning streak and Atlanta being second in the league in that mark over the course of the entire season. Both of these teams are loaded with shot makers, and this should be a game in which both teams have no trouble scoring — even if Young is out. 

The Over has actually hit in each of the last five meetings between these two teams, and the two averaged a total of 235.2 combined points per game across those contests. Expect some more fireworks this time around. 

Prediction: Over 223 (-110)

Best bet

Chris Paul has been playing out of his mind lately, as he comes into this one after averaging 21.0 points and 13.1 assists per game over his last seven contests. Paul definitely lacks the quickness and burst he had earlier in his career, but he uses screens to perfection and is one of the best mid-range shooters in the history of the game. Paul has also been shooting it well from behind the 3-point line, which is nice to see after he struggled from deep to start the year. 

Now, the Point God has a matchup with a Hawks team that can struggle to contain opposing point guards. It’s hard to see him not finding a way to score at least 16 in a matchup like this, and he could actually be in for a lot more if Young ends up playing. Young is one of the weaker defenders in the league, and Phoenix knows how to attack weaknesses. 

Pick: Chris Paul Over 15.5 points (-122)

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