Atlanta Hawks (18-21) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (21-20)
January 8, 2023 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Los Angeles Clippers -3.5; Over/Under: +232.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Clippers duke it out at the Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night in NBA action.
The Atlanta Hawks have been in a rut as they’ve lost five of their last six games overall and they will be hoping to bounce back after getting routed by the depleted Lakers in a 130-114 road loss on Friday. Trae Young led the team with 32 points and nine assists on 12 of 24 shooting, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter and Dejounte Murray each scored 16 points. As a team, the Hawks shot 45 percent from the field and nine of 31 from the 3-point line but they were poor on the defensive end and were always fighting an uphill battle after allowing the Lakers to pour in 70 points in the first half to fall behind by as many as 26 points.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers have really gone off the boil lately as they are now on a five-game losing streak after getting routed by the Timberwolves in a 128-115 road loss on Friday. Norman Powell led the team with 21 points on nine of 14 shooting off the bench, Moses Brown and John Wall scored 14 points each while Marcus Morris chipped in with 12 points. As a team, the Clippers shot just 44 percent from the field and nine of 25 from the 3-point line as they struggled to keep up with the Timberwolves from the start and never had a chance after falling behind by 14 points at halftime and by as many as 25 points in the third quarter.
Looking at the betting trends, the Hawks are 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games, 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a loss of more than 10 points and 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games overall. The Clippers are 0-4 ATS in their last four games following a loss, 5-0 ATS in their last five games against a team with a losing record and 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall.
Head to head, the over is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Los Angeles and the under is 4-1 in the last five meetings overall.
The Hawks should be shorthanded again as Clint Capela is still out, while the Clippers have listed Paul George, Nicolas Batum and Luke Kennard as questionable here. The Hawks haven’t been able to build any momentum lately and they didn’t look good in their loss to the Lakers, but they are long overdue for a win and I think they can get it against the Clippers if they are shorthanded again. This is a game I’d rather stay away from, but if I had to choose, I’d lean towards the Hawks in a close one.
