NETS (-4.5) at HAWKS (235), 7 p.m.
Pick: Under 235
The Nets (34-33) did pick up a few wins this week to get things going in the right direction again after a short three-game losing streak. However, are victories against Dallas and Cleveland going to be enough for us to feel confident laying multiple possessions with Brooklyn on the road? Had the Nets blown out Cleveland like they did Dallas, maybe. But Brooklyn got by with a 113-107 win on Wednesday night and so we’re still not sure the Nets are back to being a sure-fire playoff team.
While 4.5 points probably isn’t enough to back Atlanta (22-44) here, the total seems a bit high. Below is a look at the total points scored in the last eight Nets games:
220 . . . vs. Cleveland
215 . . . vs. Dallas
205 . . . at Miami
235 . . . vs. Charlotte
241 . . . vs. Washington
186 . . . vs. San Antonio
232 . . . at Charlotte
212 . . . vs. Portland
Only one of these games went over 235. All of the games that landed under 235 did so by a considerable margin. Atlanta has played a few overtime games recently that have resulted in some inflation on this total. We love the under in this one.