Clippers vs Hawks

Jalen Johnson has emerged as Atlanta’s offensive hub, leading the Hawks in scoring and playmaking for a 13-9 start and an attack averaging 118.0 points per game, while they’ve gone 9-4 since Trae Young’s MCL sprain pushed more usage his way. Even with Young, Kristaps Porziņģis and Jacob Toppin all ruled out, Atlanta has largely handled business, and they already beat this Clippers group 105-102 in Los Angeles behind Johnson’s near triple-double and Vit Krejci’s breakout scoring night.  On the other side, LA has dropped five straight and sits at 5-16, with James Harden and Kawhi Leonard carrying a heavy offensive load for a team allowing 120+ regularly and now dealing with serious backcourt and wing attrition: Bradley Beal is out for the season, Derrick Jones Jr. is sidelined with an MCL sprain, Bogdan Bogdanovic is out, and the Chris Paul “sent home” saga only adds to the instability. Given Atlanta’s superior recent form, home court, and cleaner on-court hierarchy, Hawks -165 on the moneyline is a solid but not elite value—worthy of a B grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 03/12/2025 09:45am

Los Angeles’ offense, driven by Harden’s 26.9 points and 8.4 assists per night and Ivica Zubac’s efficiency inside, has still produced 112.3 points per game despite the losses, and this free-falling defense just surrendered 140 to Miami and has bled threes throughout the current five-game skid. Atlanta, even without Young and Porziņģis, is playing fast and free around Johnson’s 23.2 points and 7.2 assists, routinely pushing games into the high teens or 120s—including recent shootouts against the 76ers (142-134 in 2OT) and Cavaliers (130-123). The first Clippers-Hawks meeting finished 105-102 in LA, but that was a grindier script; with LA’s defense in worse shape, Hawks’ frontcourt depth still intact despite Porziņģis’ illness, and both teams’ season scoring profiles combining to about 230 points, the Over 228 at -110 gets a B- grade for its blend of offensive upside and variance risk from Atlanta’s missing stars.  Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 03/12/2025 09:45am

Atlanta’s recent 9-4 surge without Young, powered by Johnson’s across-the-board production and Onyeka Okongwu’s interior punch, suggests their current identity travels well, and they now get the Clippers at home laying only three after already winning by that exact margin in LA earlier this season.) The Hawks enter on a modest one-game skid after a tight road loss in Detroit, but the underlying trend is positive, whereas the Clippers have cratered to 5-16 with a five-game losing streak, a negative point differential on most nights, and depth issues on the wing and in the backcourt thanks to long-term absences for Beal and Jones plus Bogdanovic’s hip.  Add in the off-court turbulence of Chris Paul being removed from the team mid-season and a grueling road-heavy stretch, and it’s hard to trust LA to keep this within a single possession over 48 minutes, making Hawks -3 (-115) a B-grade play that leans on form, health, and home court more than raw talent. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 03/12/2025 09:45am