Atlanta, GA
Starting Lineups: Atlanta Hawks vs Brooklyn Nets
The Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets are going to be tipping their seasons off in just a matter of minutes and the starting lineups were just announced for both teams.
Hawks:
G- Trae Young
G- Dyson Daniels
F- De’Andre Hunter
F- Jalen Johnson
C- Clint Capela
Nets:
G- Dennis Schroder
G- Cam Thomas
F- Cam Johnson
F- Dorian Finney-Smith
C- Ben Simmons
There is no doubt about who the more talented team is on paper.
Trae Young is coming off of his most injury filled season, but now he is the center piece once again for the Hawks. He looked mostly like himself in the preseason and against what I think is going to be a poor defense for the Nets, it could be a big night for Young.
Daniels started alongside Young in the preseason and the results were very intriguing. It was a pretty solid preseason for Daniels and he is likely going to be tasked with guarding Nets guard Cam Thomas tonight. Thomas is a streaky scorer, but he can get hot any given night and if the Hawks lose this game, Thomas has probably had a big night. Daniels is going to be asked to shoot the three and be an elite defender on the perimeter, which he showed in the preseason.
In two preseason games, Zaccharie Risacher averaged 16 PPG, 5 RPG, and 1.7 APG on 60% shooting and 44% from three. He had a 129.4 Offensive Rating and was second on the team this preseason amongst qualified Hawks in PER (player efficiency rating) with a 23.2 PER, behind only Jalen Johnson.
Speaking of Johnson, he is now a long term cornerstone for the Hawks after signing his extension before the season and I think he is in for a big year.
Johnson played in three of the Hawks four preseason and averaged 16.9 PPG in 23 minutes per game on 69% shooting and 87% shooting from three, as well as 7.3 RPG. Now of course that kind of three point shooting can’t be expected this season, but it just goes to show how impressive that Johnson has been this preseason.
Now he was not perfect. He did average four turnovers per game (way too high) and I would like to see his assist numbers go up and see him become more of a second creator next to Trae Young, but that is nitpicking.
Looking at Brooklyn, the Hawks are the more talented team, but the Nets do have good players. While they might have the lowest win total to start the year, some of the reason for that low number is the fact that Brooklyn has the potential to make trades later. For now, they have good NBA players that if given the chance can have a big night.
Thomas is the guy on Brooklyn to watch. He is by far the best scorer and shot creator on the team and is going to have the ball in his hands a lot. For Brooklyn to win, he is likely going to have to score in the 30’s.
The wild card in this game is Ben Simmons. He has not played much over the past few seasons, but he is healthy coming into the game. What will he be able to provide the Nets tonight and is there a chance he looks like the guy that was an All-NBA player early in his career? Probably not, but it is worth watching.
With Bojan Bogdanovic and Day’Ron Sharpe out, the Nets bench is going to be thin and that is where the Hawks have a massive advantage.
The Hawks are going to be favorites at home tonight according to Fanduel Sportsbook. Atlanta will be a 6.5-point favorite against the Nets and the total is set for 222.5.
If the Hawks’ defense is as improved as I think it might be, they should win this game. The best path to victory for the Nets is for Thomas to have a big night, but even if he were to score 30 or more tonight, what is Brooklyn going to get from their bench? I think that is where the Hawks are going to have a massive advantage and I like the Hawks to win and cover tonight.
Final Score: Hawks 117, Nets 105
Atlanta, GA
Philadelphia Phillies lose fifth straight game to end homestand, swept by Atlanta Braves
Michael Harris II homered and had three hits as the streaking Atlanta Braves defeated the slumping Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 on Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep of their NL East rivals.
Ozzie Albies hit an RBI double and Austin Riley also drove in a run for the Braves, who have won five in a row and nine of 11. It was Atlanta’s first series sweep of at least three games at Philadelphia in 10 years.
Kyle Schwarber went deep for the Phillies, who have lost five straight and 10 of 13. They were outscored 56-33 on a 2-7 homestand against the Diamondbacks, Cubs and Braves, leaving Philadelphia 6 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the division standings.
Raisel Iglesias escaped trouble in the ninth inning for his fifth save. Philadelphia put runners on first and second with one out, but Trea Turner struck out and Schwarber lined out to right field on an excellent running catch by Ronald Acuña Jr.
Tyler Kinley (3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win.
Schwarber’s two-run shot in the first gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.
Harris homered leading off the third before the Braves went ahead in the fifth with three runs against rookie starter Andrew Painter (1-1) and lefty reliever Tim Mayza.
Painter was lifted after he opened the inning by allowing singles to Harris and Acuña. Mayza loaded the bases with a walk, and the Braves tied the game on Matt Olson’s groundout. Riley’s dribbler to third went for an RBI infield single, and Albies’ double to the left-field wall made it 4-2.
Riley saved at least one run while ending a Philadelphia threat in the bottom of the fifth with a stellar defensive play at third base.
Braves starter Grant Holmes allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings.
On a chilly night, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto sat out after leaving Saturday’s game with lower back tightness.
Up next
Braves: Begin a four-game series Monday night at Washington. RHP Bryce Elder (2-1, 0.77 ERA) opposes Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (1-2, 6.16).
Phillies: Open seven-game trip Monday night with the first of four games against the Cubs. RHP Aaron Nola (1-4, 4.03 ERA) faces Chicago RHP Colin Rea (2-0, 3.63).
Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -5.5; over/under is 216.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Knicks lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last matchup 113-102 on Saturday, led by 28 points from Jalen Brunson. CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 26.
The Knicks are 35-17 in Eastern Conference games. New York has a 9-4 record in one-possession games.
The Hawks are 27-25 in Eastern Conference play. Atlanta is third in the league scoring 18.1 fast break points per game. McCollum leads the Hawks averaging 5.0.
The Knicks are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points higher than the 47.4% the Hawks allow to opponents. The Hawks are shooting 47.4% from the field, 1.4% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks’ opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.
Dyson Daniels is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds for the Hawks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 21.3 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 110.4 points, 40.7 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points per game.
Hawks: 5-5, averaging 117.2 points, 43.5 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.0 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Tyler Kolek: day to day (oblique), Mitchell Robinson: day to day (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (elbow).
Hawks: Jock Landale: out (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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