NBA Game Preview: Golden State Warriors at Atlanta Hawks

Mar 17, 2023

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Game: Golden State Warriors @ Atlanta Hawks

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Odds: Warriors +3, Hawks -3

Total: 249

Two of the best scorers in the NBA will square off against each other tonight when Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks meet tonight. Curry just put up 50 against the Clippers on the road on Wednesday night and is now averaging 30.1 points per game. Young had 41 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. The Hawks star scores 25.3 points per game this season.

Against the Clippers, Curry shot 20-of-28 from the field and 8-of-14 from beyond the three-point arc. Curry finished with the 12th regular-season 50-point game of his career after scoring 21 points in the third quarter to tie his season record. Since hitting a three-pointer on December 1, 2018, against Detroit, Curry has now made at least one in 233 straight regular-season games, an NBA record.

Despite Curry’s effort, the Warriors lost to the Clippers 134-126. It was Golden State’s fourth loss in its last six games. The Warriors are now sixth in the Western Conference standings, just one game ahead of both Minnesota and Dallas. Finishing sixth guarantees the Warriors a spot in the postseason. Otherwise, Golden State will have to participate in the play-in tournament.

Draymond Green of the Warriors was issued his 16th technical foul of the year during the loss and will be ineligible to play tonight unless the NBA reverses the decision. Klay Thompson only scored 15 points against the Clippers, but he averages 22.3 points for the season. Thompson had a 38-point performance against Phoenix on Monday. In their first encounter this year, the Warriors beat Atlanta 143-141 in double overtime on January 2. Thompson had 54 points.

The one bright spot for the Hawks in their lopsided loss to the Timberwolves on Monday was Young. The Hawks fell behind quickly, trailed 76-51 at the half, and never closed the gap to less than ten points. Young scored 30 points and had 14 assists in the game against the Warriors back in January. The Hawks have defeated the Warriors three times in a row when they have played them in Atlanta.

Young has three games this season with 40 or more points, 23 games with 30 or more points, and 33 double-doubles. In eight games versus Golden State in his career, Young has scored 21.6 points on average. Curry has faced Atlanta in 19 games, averaging  23.4 points per game.

The last two games between these teams have featured issues with Atlanta’s defense. The Hawks have given up 120 points or more in four of their last five games and a combined 270 in their last two.

There is a lot of playoff drama in tonight’s game. As mentioned, the Warriors hold the No. 6 spot in the West. The Hawks are now in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, three games behind seventh-place Miami and just one game ahead of Toronto.

This is the second game of a five-game road trip for the Warriors. With a 7-27 record and a .206 winning percentage on the road, Golden State is one of the worst road teams in the NBA this season. The Warriors have a .806 winning percentage and a 29-7 record at home.

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