Washington will host Atlanta on Sunday afternoon at the Verizon Center to stay up the second day of the 2017 NBA Playoffs. This is a matchup of the top two teams in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. In their four meetings this season, the wizards were able to take the last three contests -- the biggest victory being an 112-86 decision back on January 27th. That was also the only game won on the road in the matchups between the two this season. The Hawks won the first game, 114-99, back on October 27th. Tipoff is set for 1:00 PM Eastern Time and the contest can be viewed on TNT and the Watch TNT app.
Hawks (43-39 overall, 20-21 away, 39-43 ATS)
Atlanta ended their regular season with a disappointing 104-86 loss to Indiana. The Hawks were down by seven after the first quarter and lost their footing after getting run down in the third quarter, 34-25. Ersan Ilyasova was the leading scorer on the team with just 15 points but made an efficient 6-of-10 from the field. The reliable players struggled, including Kris Humphries going just 2-for-9 on the day and finishing with five points.
Another problem was not having Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dwight Howard playing. Hardaway (14.5 ppg) dealt with a knee injury earlier this month, but it appears that he was just resting for the postseason. Howard (13.5 ppg, 12.7 rpg) should also be ready for the opening game as he continues to recover from a back injury.
Wizards (49-33 overall, 30-11 home, 42-39-1 ATS)
Washington also fell 110-102 in their regular season finale against Miami. While the team hit a solid 48.3 percent from the field, they struggled from downtown nailing just 7-of-26 attempts and was demolished 51-34 on the glass. The Heat's center, Hassan Whiteside, picked up 18 of those boards.
The leading rebounder for the Wizards was forward Otto Porter Jr. with six. None of the starters played more than 30 minutes. Trey Burke had the most production off the bench with 27 points and getting five of the team's seven 3-pointers.
There's a bit of a scare with superstar John Wall's ability (23.1 ppg, 10.7 apg), but he should be ready at tipoff.
Wall has dealt with sore quadriceps and was out for the last two games of the season. Ian Mahinmi has a calf injury and isn't expected to return until later in April should the Wizards continue to advance
Betting on Hawks and Wizards
Washington has held steady as a 5.5-point favorite at home. The total O/U has also been the same at 209 points. The Wizards have won their last six first-round games against the spread.
