Clippers vs. Hawks NBA Odds, Preview and Best Bet (Archive)
We’ve got an interesting battle between east and west when the Atlanta Hawks host the Los Angeles Clippers. While most observers would agree that the Hawks have underachieved this season, the same can’t be said about the Clippers. Despite not having both of their superstars for the majority of the season, they’re still above .500 in the tough Western Conference. Let’s take a look at the NBA odds.
L.A. Clippers vs. Atlanta Hawks
Friday, March 11, 2022 – 07:30 PM EST at State Farm Arena
It's Time to Give Ty Lue His Respect
When you hear people talk about LeBron James' career, you'll often hear the narrative that he never had good coaching. It's still very early in Ty Lue's career as an NBA head coach but there are a few things that are clear already.
First of all, through 351 regular-season games, he has won 60% of the games he's coached. As head coach of the Clippers, despite never having his full roster available at any point, he has won 58% of his games.
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For me personally, I officially started to give this man his respect after the incredible coaching job he did during the playoffs. This article isn't about Lue so I'll cut it short by saying that if you go back and watch each series, he makes crucial adjustments that lead his team to victory.
It's time to stop saying LeBron never had a good coach because even though we didn't know it back then, we know now that this guy is the real deal. His Clippers team come into tonight's game as big road underdogs which in my opinion is really disrespectful.
The line for this matchup is Atlanta -6 and to be honest, I'm not sure why. I understand the Hawks offensive firepower but the Clippers defense is for real. I respect how well the Hawks play at home, they are 16-11 against the spread (ATS) which has to be respected.
The thing is, the Clippers have a winning ATS record as road underdogs as well. They are 13-10 as road dogs and I think that's the play that has the most value in this spot.
Hawks Can't Seem to Find Consistency
There's no need to go into how disappointing the Hawks current position in the standings is. After making a surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals, Atlanta has regressed in a big way. It almost makes what they did seem like a fluke but it's not that simple. Before the playoffs, the Hawks were one of the best teams in the league for an extended period.
That period began when Nate McMillan took over as head coach. The formula was quite simple actually; this is a very good offensive team that can win a ton of games if they can get stops at the other end.
In the 37 regular season games McMillan coached last year, the Hawks were 8th in offensive efficiency and 13th on the defensive end. They went 27-11 during that stretch in the regular season and their defense got even better in the playoffs. They ended up finishing 7th in the playoffs in defensive efficiency so the blueprint for this year was clear; play defense and the sky's the limit for this team.
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At the moment, Atlanta is the 5th worst defense in the NBA and there are no signs that things are improving. As much as the Clippers might struggle offensively at times, they're 8th in the NBA on defense and they actually allow fewer points per game on the road. I think Lue outcoaches McMillan and will have a specific game plan to slow down Trae Young, as difficult as that can be.
The Pick
In their first meeting back in Los Angeles, they held Young to 19 points and the Hawks to 93 for the game. While I think the Hawks show a much better effort at home, I think the Clippers are good enough to keep this game under two possessions so my official play is Hawks +6 (-110) which is available at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review).
NBA Pick: Hawks +6 (-110) at Bovada
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.