Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon Sport
Atlanta Hawks vs Memphis Grizzlies: Both teams are missing their star players
The Memphis Grizzlies are hosting the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at FedExForum.
The Hawks are playing well without Trae Young
The Atlanta Hawks are tenth in the Eastern Conference with a 28-34 record. After losing back-to-back games to the Brooklyn Nets, the Hawks have won the last two against the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Hawks are fifth in the league, scoring 120.2 points per game, and are ranked ninth, making 13.4 three-pointers per game. In the absence of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray is the best player on the Hawks team, averaging 21.5 points per game.
The Grizzlies have a difficult season
The Memphis Grizzlies are 13th in the Western Conference with a 22-41 record. They have won the last two games and are coming off a 115-109 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. They are ninth in the league, allowing 112.5 points per game, and are the worst team in the league, shooting 43.8% from the field. Desmond Bane leads the team with 24.4 points per game.
Betting Trends
The Hawks are 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games overall and 5-1 ATS in the last 6 games against teams from the Western Conference. The Grizzlies are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 games overall, 7-1 ATS in the last 8 games as underdogs and 4-9 ATS in the last 13 games played on Friday.
Prediction and Conclusion
Both the Hawks and the Grizzlies are underachieving this season. Both star point guards Trae Young and Ja Morant are out with injuries. However, both teams are coming into this game after winning the previous two. The Grizzlies are 11.5 games behind the play-in zone, which makes the playoff mission impossible for them. The Hawks, on the other hand, can still reach the postseason, and it seems like they have the quality to do that. Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic have stepped up in the absence of Young, and they will make the difference in this game. The Grizzlies have won the last three games against the Hawks, but that run is ending tonight as the Hawks will win this one by covering the -3.5-point spread.
