NBA Play of the Day for February 28th, 2020

by Raju Byfield |
Feb 28, 2020

The Brooklyn Nets will look to complete the season sweep against the Atlanta Hawks with a victory tonight. They have won eight-straight contests against the fledgling Hawks team, proving that they do not play down to their competition when facing inferior teams like Atlanta. The consensus point spread for this contest opened at -2.5 on Brooklyn, and it has already jumped to -3. Brooklyn won each of their meetings against Atlanta this season by at least 10 points, making them the initial lean for this contest. Letâ€™s dig in.

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Details

Opening Lines: The consensus point spread for this contest opened at -2.5 on the Brooklyn Nets. The consensus over/under total opened at 234.5 points. The point spread has climbed to -3. The over/under total has dropped to 233.5.
Current Line: Brooklyn -3
O/U: 233.5
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Start Time: 7:30 PM EST, Friday, February 28th
Last Meeting: Orlando defeated Atlanta 108-86 â€” January 12th

Overview

The Brooklyn Nets sit at 26-31 on the season. They are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, but they have a tenuous hold on that spot at best. They just dropped contests to eighth-place Orlando and ninth-place Washington, allowing both teams to gain a full game on them in the standings. With Kyrie Irving lost for the season, the Nets are going to have a tough time holding onto a playoff spot. Yes, they made the playoffs without Kyrie Irving last season, but they did that with former All-Star Dâ€™Angelo Russell. Brooklyn has won each of their three meetings against Atlanta this season, and they have won the last eight contests between the two teams overall. The Nets will look to complete the season sweep with a win tonight in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Hawks sit at 17-43 on the season. They have been much better since the start of the new year but still find themselves in last place in the Eastern Conference. They have done a terrific job avoiding the desire to play trade deadline acquisition Clint Capela, and they will be gifted better lottery odds because of it. They won their first two games out of the All-Star break, but they have dropped their last two contests since. Trae Young is dealing with an illness, and he is questionable for tonightâ€™s contest. He admitted to still feeling the effects after Wednesdayâ€™s game, but he was able to play through it then and is expected to do so once again tonight. The Hawks will be thin up front with Dewayne Dedmon ruled out tonight, and they will have their work cut out for them if they are to avoid an embarrassing season sweep.

Trends

Brooklyn is 7-1 ATS in their last eight contests against Atlanta.
Under is 6-2 in the last eight meetings between these two teams played in Atlanta.
Brooklyn is 27-30 ATS on the season.
Brooklyn is 11-17 ATS on the road this season.
Atlanta is 27-32-1 ATS on the season.
Atlanta is 17-11-1 ATS at home this season.
Brooklyn is 6-4 ATS in their last 10 contests.
Brooklyn is 4-10 ATS in their last 14 road contests.
Brooklyn is 7-0 ATS in their last seven Friday contests.
Brooklyn is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 contests as a favorite.
Atlanta is 4-5-1 ATS in their last 10 contests.
Atlanta is 0-3-1 ATS in their last four contests against teams with losing records.
Atlanta is 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine home contests.
Atlanta is 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine home contests against teams with losing road records.
Under is 5-2 in Brooklynâ€™s last seven road contests.
Under is 7-3 in Brooklynâ€™s last 10 contests.
Under is 5-2 in Brooklynâ€™s last seven contests as a road favorite.
Under is 4-0 in Brooklynâ€™s last four contests against teams with a winning percentage below .400.
Over is 12-2 in Atlantaâ€™s last 14 home contests.
Over is 10-1 in Atlantaâ€™s last 11 contests as a home underdog.
Under is 12-2 in Atlantaâ€™s last 14 contests against teams with losing records.
Over is 13-3 in Atlantaâ€™s last 16 home contests against teams with losing road records.

Prop Bets

John Collins over (at FanDuel)
The John Collins points prop has yet to be posted. He has averaged 25.1 points and 10.2 rebounds in 11 February contests, and heâ€™s a good bet to clear whatever number heâ€™s posted at for tonightâ€™s contest. Dewayne Dedmon is out tonight, meaning Collins will be given all of the minutes he can handle. Collins played just one matchup against Brooklyn this season, back in early January, and he recorded just eight points. He has scored 21 or more points in 10 of his last 11 contests and should be punched in at any number 23 or under. I considered Caris LeVertâ€™s and Spencer Dinwiddieâ€™s lines for expediency, as their odds are already posted, but both went up at severely inflated numbers with no clear win probability advantage. This matchup was actually selected for this prop, so exercise some patience and reap the benefits at what projects as another John Collins over payout on FanDuel.

Bottom Line

The Brooklyn Nets have won eight straight against the Atlanta Hawks. They have won all three matchups played so far this season, and they will look to bring out the brooms and sweep Atlanta for the second season in a row. The consensus point spread for this contest is much lower than expected, especially when one considers that the Nets have won each contest this season by at least 10 points. The Nets are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 contests as a favorite, and they have the inside track on a victory tonight against an Atlanta team that appears content to drop as many games as possible. Trae Youngâ€™s illness only helps matters here, so lock the Nets in at -3 at FanDuel as the spread seems destined to keep rising.