Tip-off: Friday, 7:35 p.m. ET
Line: Atlanta -4, Total: 208.5

The Thunder look to win a fifth straight game in Atlanta on Friday night, but it is going to be tough, as they’ll face a Hawks team that has now won 14 straight games.

Oklahoma City is on a four-game winning streak both SU and ATS, and it is going to need to keep winning games in order to make the playoffs in the Western Conference. This team has clicked offensively recently, averaging 110.4 PPG over the past five contests. They Thunder will need to keep it up on that side of the ball, as they’ll be up against a Hawks team that has scored at least 105 points in six of the past seven games. They are also holding their opponents to just 89.7 PPG in that span. Atlanta hasn’t just won 14 straight games, but it has also won 19 of the past 20 contests, and has covered in 18 of those games. The Thunder last played the Hawks on Jan. 27, 2014, when they won 111-109 as 9.5-point home favorites. Since 1996, Oklahoma City is 13-4 SU and 14-2 ATS when facing the Hawks in Atlanta. Oklahoma City is 3-1 SU in this head-to-head series over the past three seasons, but the teams have split wins ATS. On the season, Atlanta is a dominant 31-11 ATS in all games. The club is also 7-0 ATS as a home favorite of six points or less on the season, and an incredible 12-0 ATS in January. Oklahoma City, meanwhile, has gone 68-46 ATS after scoring 105+ points over the past three seasons. Each team remains without one player on the roster, as Thunder PF Mitch McGary (tibia) and Hawks SG Shelvin Mack (calf) are both out indefinitely.

Can the Thunder finally put an end to the Hawks' incredible win streak? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Forecaster has a strong 56% ATS record (111-88-1) in featured games this season. In terms of Best Bets, the experts have a stellar 68% ATS (52-25) record since Jan. 2, led by StatFox Scott, who is a sizzling 70% ATS (16-7) in Best Bets since Dec. 21, improving his record to 56% ATS (35-28) for the season. StatFox Brian is 63% ATS (25-15) in Best Bets since Nov. 29, and is now 57% ATS (35-27) in season Best Bets, while StatFox Gary is 69% ATS (11-5) in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 1, and 57% ATS (36-27) this season. StatFox Zach is 69% ATS (11-5) in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 2, while StatFox Dave is 64% ATS (9-5) since Jan. 2.

The Thunder are going to need every win they can get to make the playoffs in an outstanding Western Conference, so this one in Atlanta would mean a lot to them. SF Kevin Durant (25.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.9 APG) was excellent in a win over the Wizards on Wednesday, finishing the game with 34 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 45 minutes of action. Over the past five games, last year’s MVP is averaging 26.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 4.8 APG. He’ll need to be just as effective against a Hawks team that is capable of putting up a ton of points. PG Russell Westbrook (25.1 PPG, 7.4 APG, 6.1 RPG, 2.3 SPG) was equally as impressive against the Wizards, finishing with 32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in 42 minutes. Westbrook has a tough matchup with Jeff Teague in this game, and he’ll need to come ready to play on both ends of the court. He’d be wise to attack the rim in an effort to draw some fouls and take the Hawks out of their rhythm. PF Serge Ibaka (14.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.2 BPG) has not been rebounding the ball very effectively recently, averaging just 6.4 RPG over the past five games. Atlanta has a very talented frontcourt and all of its starters have the ability to hit the glass, so Ibaka must grab more rebounds in this game than he has been lately. He has just one game with more than eight rebounds in the month of January.

What the Hawks have been able to do this season has been absolutely remarkable, allowing just 96.1 PPG (1st in NBA) and scoring 103.2 PPG (6th in leagues). No one individual on this team is bigger than the other and that can be evidenced by its 26.0 APG (2nd in NBA). This team loves to move the ball and nearly every possession ends with a good look at the basket. The guy that has been really thriving over the course of the winning streak is C Al Horford (15.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.4 BPG). In January, Horford is averaging 16.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 4.4 APG in just 31.4 MPG. He is a tremendous passer for a big man, and his ability to space the floor with his mid-range jumper is one of the reasons this offense has been this good all year. PF Paul Millsap (16.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.7 SPG) shares a lot of the same qualities as his frontcourt partner. Millsap is ferocious on the glass, but he is also a capable outside shooter for his size and he should be able to really frustrate Serge Ibaka with his ability to get his hands on the ball defensively. PG Jeff Teague (17.2 PPG, 7.4 APG, 1.8 APG) has been passing the ball very well over the past few weeks, averaging 8.8 APG in the past five games. Teague’s quickness and ability to get to the rim opens up a lot for his team offensively. He’ll need to hold his own in this one, as it will not be easy to go against Russell Westbrook. SG Kyle Korver (13.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.9 APG) has been shooting with a historically amazing accuracy this season. He’s been on fire in the month of January (57.5% FG, 57.4% threes) and the Thunder are going to throw whatever they can at Korver in order to prevent him from getting good looks on Friday.