The Atlanta Hawks opened the season with a surprising 106-94 home-loss to the Pistons Tuesday. They're looking good to rebound with a win here against the New York Knicks who are playing on back-to-back nights after a 122-97 win Wednesday.
Here are my keys to the game:
1. A Wake Up Call For The Hawks - The defeat to Detroit mus have been extremely disappointing for this Hawks team. Keep in mind that they amassed an Eastern Conference-best 60 wins during the last regular-season and are coming into the new season with an at least as strong squad. The Knicks meanwhile finished last season with the worst record in the conference, and a loss for the Hawks here would be pretty embarrassing. The difference in quality between those two teams should become apparent after this game, despite how they performed in their respective season-premieres.
2. Situational - The Knicks are 1-4 ATS in their last five playing on no days of rest and the favorite have covered the spread in four of the last five head-to-head meetings with the Hawks.
3. X-Factor - Atlanta's Kyle Korver, the league leader in 3-point percentage last season, was just 1 of 5 in a seven-point effort on opening night. Expect a better performance from him tonight.
Selection: This is a play on the Atlanta Hawks (10*)