NBA: Atlanta Hawks VS Golden State Warriors Pick and Predictions 01/02/2023

Game: 10:10 PM ET,  Monday, January 2nd, 2023

Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco, California

TV:  NBA League Pass

Hawks: 17-19, 9th place Eastern Conference

Warriors: 19-18, 9th place Western Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Warriors -1.5, O/U 236.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: Warriors -1.5, O/U 237

Fanduel: Point Spread: Warriors -1.5, O/U 237

Hawks: SF AJ Griffin, PF John Collins, C Onyeka Okongwu, PG Dejounte Murray, SG Trae Young

Warriors: SF Donte DiVincenzo, PF Draymond Green, C Kevon Looney, PG Jordan Poole, SG Klay Thompson

A battle of the 9th place team from the Eastern Conference against the 9th place team from the Western Conference.  Problem is… Both these teams were supposed to be good. In fact on paper, both these teams are good… Yet each of them has a particular challenge to get over.  For the Atlanta Hawks the problem is a severe identity crisis.  PG Trae Young is their leading scorer with 27.4 points per game… yet he gets those points by jacking shots from anywhere on the court… to a desperately inefficient result.  Trae is also not a stud on defense and probably never will be.  Trae is however their star and the centerpiece the Hawks decided to build around.  The Hawks also have SG Dejounte Murray on the team… He is the better actual guard.  Dejounte should be playing on-ball way more than he is.  This crisis will need to be resolved.  Lots of Atlanta watchers believe trading PF John Collins is and has been the available answer…. It may help… but the real answer is and always be either getting Trae to play team ball with Dejounte… or shipping Trae to OKC or Orlando.  Seriously, Dejounte should be the man in Atlanta.  The Golden State Warriors have an expectation problem.  They have an aging trio of stars that were expected to play at their same historical levels… and haven’t quite gotten it.  But the big problem in Golden State has been the expectations put on the young players Jonthan Kuminga, James Wiseman and Jordan Poole.  That trio (maybe Moses Moody too) was expected to become a second line of stars… a full new blossoming team.  All three have fallen way short.  It didn’t help that Jealous PF Draymond Green cold-cocked Jordan Polle right before the start of the season… the kids may not feel welcome or supported in an environment like that.  The bigger problem is that the Warriors had several trade offers that would have added an all-star from elsewhere for a combination of those young players… One nuclear option that would have taken all the young players.. And they didn’t pull the trigger.  So at the moment the Warriors have aging stars that can’t quite do it every night and a group of kids that can’t quite do it any night. The great betting opportunity in this one will be found in the injury list.

The Atlanta Hawks have lost 3 straight games.  It dropped them to winners of just 4 of their last ten games.  They lost their last game to the abysmal Los Angeles Lakers 130-121… also a loss ATS.  In that game Trae Young had 29 points on bad shooting while Dejounte Murray had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists on good shooting. C Clint Capela missed that game and will miss more games.  4 other Hawks scored in double figures so scoring wasn’t the problem… The problem was clearly defense… something that Nate McMillian is glad he doesn’t have hair to pull out of his head over. The team gave up 47 points to LeBron James on his 38th birthday… so maybe they didn’t have a chance from the jump.  Still a little defense would have gone a long way.

The Golden State Warriors are on a 4-game winning streak.  They have actually risen in the standings to “get to” 9th place.  In their last game they beat the Portland Trail Blazers 118-112. In that game SG Jordan Poole had 41 POINTS and 6 assists.  The whole night was Jordan’s night. SG Klay Thompson added 31 points and we are reminded that NBA Legend Steph Curry is missing time with injury.  This reality gives Jordan Poole a ton of chances to prove he is a star.  It also helps the front office showcase Jordan in case those trade offers resurface. The Warriors pay HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of DOLLARS in luxury tax which is fine with them if it means RINGS… but if it means 9th place in the West… they should be on the phone constantly looking to trim costs and add expiring contracts and picks.  

Asa Inc is 18-12-1 in NBA picks the last 30 days for a profit of $4,800!! You should be following a handicapper all season long! Get Asa Inc’s picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. BigAl.com can help you with all your bets from NCAAF, NFL, MLB, NHL… get positive value from all your bets! Remember: winning a bet is way more fun than making a bet!

ATL: 17-19, 14-22 ATS, 21-15 O/U, 6-11 in road games.

GSW: 19-18, 17-19-1 ATS, 20-15-2 O/U, 16-2 in home games.

The Hawks are 12th in scoring with 114.5 points per game, 10th in rebounds with 44.1 per game, 4th in AST/TO ratio with 1.9, and 15th in blocked shots with 4.8 per game.

The Warriors are 6th in scoring with 116.4 points per game, 16th in rebounds with 43.2 per game, 13th in AST/TO ratio with 1.7 per game, and 27th in blocked shots with 3.9 per game.

Our prediction for Monday, January 2nd is…. Warriors 131 - Hawks 120

Golden State is 16-2 at home for a reason.  Both distinct groups of players 1) Vets & 2) The Kids play much better on their home court.  They hit their shots at a better clip and they feed off the crowd on the defensive end.  Bet on the Warriors now before they go on the road.

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NBA Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com. Just click on Shop Picks for our Hawks/Warriors Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to join for a week or a month. And if you enjoyed this  preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.  Get help with all your college football picks, National Football league, NCAA brackets, or any prop bets on your season schedule. 

The Warriors are 14-4 ATS in home games this season.

The Warriors are 70-38 ATS in home games the last 3 seasons.

The Warriors are 17-5 ATS at home when the line is +3 to -3 the last 3 seasons.

Hawks: SG/PG Dejounte Murray.  Dejounte is the best basketball player the Hawks have… He is not their best selling jersey.  This tension will build until the hawks make some sort of decision on who is in control of this team. 

Warriors: SF Donte DiVincenzo.   Remember Donte… He is on the Warriors now.  With SF Andrew Wiggins out until Mid-January he has a good starting spot to showcase his abilities.  Since the Hawks are not known for their SF play… Donte has a real chance to impact this game with scoring.

Hawks: Nate “Play some damn defense!!” McMillan

Warriors: Steve “Lord of the Rings” Kerr