The Atlanta Hawks continue their western swing tonight when they take on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. The Hawks, who fell Friday night in Portland, will attempt to throw some water on the red hot Jazz, winners of their last seven home games. The game tips off at 9:00pm ET at the Energy Solutions Arena and will be broadcast live on NBA TV.
Atlanta Hawks vs Utah Jazz NBA Picks at SBGglobal.com have the Jazz pegged as a -7.5 against the spread home favorite.
Utah is one of the hottest teams in the league over the course of the last 10 games, having gone 8-2 in that span. In spite of their stellar play, they are still in third place in the Northwest division with a 33-23 record. They are two and a half games behind second place Portland and four games behind the Nuggets. The Jazz are holding tightly to the last playoff spot in the West, sitting just a game and a half ahead of the Suns.
Utah is in the midst of a four game winning streak and they conclude a five game home stand when they play the Hawks tonight. They have beaten the NBA's best in their current run at Energy Solutions, topping the Lakers and Celtics as well as the Hornets and Grizzlies.
The Jazz beat New Orleans 102-88 on Saturday night, a day after owner Larry Miller passed away. Jerry Sloan watched his squad hit 49.4 percent from the floor and 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from downtown in pasting the Hornets. Point Guard Deron Williams led the team with 20 points and 13 assists.
Utah is 24-6 at home this year but they are a meager 10-12 versus Eastern Conference foes. The Jazz are averaging 102.6 points per game (seventh in the league) and 24.2 assists per game (first in the league) on the season.
Atlanta comes into this evening's battle with a 32-23 record, which has consigned them to second place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast division. They trail the first place Magic by nine games, however, they are in fourth place in the overall conference standings with a three game lead on the fifth place Heat.
The Hawks are playing in the fourth game of their five game Western Conference road swing tonight. They lost to the Lakers 83-96 to open the road stand and have since beat the Kings and lost to the Trail Blazers. Portland got the better of them on Friday by a score of 108-98 as LaMarcus Aldridge dropped in 24 points and grabbed seven of the Blazers 18 offensive rebounds. Mike Bibby scored 27 for Atlanta in the loss.
The Hawks are 13-17 on the road this season where they average 97.2 points per game and give up an average of 99.1 in return.
SBGglobal.com's Atlanta Hawks vs Utah Jazz NBA Picks:
Atlanta Hawks +7.5 (-110), Over 205 (-110), +270 (Moneyline)
Utah Jazz -7.5 (-110), Under 205 (-110), -330 (Moneyline)
