NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference - First Round
Tip-off: Wednesday, 7:05 p.m. ET
Line: Atlanta -9.5, Total: 202.0

The Hawks look to travel to Brooklyn with a 2-0 series lead by defeating the Nets in Atlanta on Wednesday.

The opening game of this series was controlled by Atlanta for a large majority of the contest, but Brooklyn did show some signs of life late. The Hawks ended up winning 99-92 as 11-point home favorites, but did not play their best game. The Nets shot 45.6% from the field compared to just 43.0% for the Hawks. They also outrebounded them 52-44. One major difference for Atlanta was that it turned the ball over less than Brooklyn (17-14) and hit 21 of its 22 free throw attempts. The Hawks were also 10-for-30 from the outside and the Nets made just five threes total. The Hawks have won all five meetings between these teams SU this season but are just 3-2 ATS in those contests. The Hawks are 8-4 SU and 7-5 ATS versus the Nets over the past three seasons and 4-1 SU at home in those games. Brooklyn is 24-8 ATS in road games when playing six or less games in 14 days over the past three seasons, but the team is up against an Atlanta quad that is 27-10 ATS when the total is between 200 and 209.5 this season. PF Mirza Teletovic (Blood Clot) is probable for this game for the Nets and PF Paul Millsap (Shoulder) and C Al Horford (Finger) are both probable for the Hawks.

The Nets lost Game 1 in Atlanta and will now try to steal Game 2 to take control of this series as they head back to Brooklyn. C Brook Lopez (17.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.8 BPG) is going to need to be the focal point of the Nets’ offense on Wednesday. Lopez had 17 points and 14 boards on just seven shots in the loss on Sunday. He was efficient and made the most of his touches, but Brooklyn must get him the ball more often in Game 2. SG Joe Johnson (14.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.7 APG) will also need to be heavily involved in this game. Johnson was solid in Game 1, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists in 42 minutes of action. He was, however, just 6-for-17 from the field and 0-for-6 from the outside and must shoot better on Wednesday. Brooklyn would be wise to get him and Lopez involved in a two-man game offensively, as they can work very well off of each other in spurts. PG Deron Williams (13.0 PPG, 6.6 APG, 3.5 RPG) had 13 points, four boards and two assists in 33 minutes on Sunday. He is going to need to be much better as a passer because it will be hard for this team to win if he is not setting up his teammates effectively. PF Thaddeus Young (14.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.6 SPG) had 15 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and a steal in Game 1. His activity around the basket gave Atlanta some issues and he’ll need to continue to use his speed to find ways to get by Paul Millsap on Wednesday.

The Hawks knocked down 10 threes in Game 1 and SG Kyle Korver (12.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.6 APG) accounted for five of them. Korver finished the game with 21 points (6-for-12 FG, 5-for-11 3PT), seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in 37 minutes of action. When he wasn’t knocking down shots himself, he was taking a lot of the attention off of his teammates. PG Jeff Teague (15.9 PPG, 7.0 APG, 1.7 SPG) gave Deron Williams a lot of problems with his speed and quickness in Game 1. Teague had 17 points and three assists, but he did pick up four fouls and must stay disciplined on defense. Atlanta will need PF Paul Millsap (16.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.8 SPG) and C Al Horford (15.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.3. BPG) to play a lot better moving forward this postseason. Millsap did not play well against Thaddeus Young and had just six points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes of action. He was 2-for-11 from the field and must find a way to score on Wednesday. Horford was not much better, finishing Game 1 with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes. He is counted on to do more offensively and will need to hold his own against Brook Lopez in this series.