Phoenix Suns vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction: Close call here?

The NBA midseason has been on and we are steadily heading toward the trade deadline. Different Franchises have taken up different routes and these routes need a bit of fixing as we head deeper. Anyway, in this NBA Regular Season game, the Phoenix Suns and the Atlanta Hawks are going to face off.

The Suns enter the contest after defeating the Raptors 114:106 as Mikal Bridges scooped up 29 points. This has been a rather lavish face for the Suns as they have won six out of their last seven games, which has helped them recover from a phase where the team was struggling to win even a single game. Not having Devin Booker has hurt but the return of Cam Johnson and especially Chris Paul has brought a lot of offensive depth.

Earlier, the Suns were crawling to even 100 points but since the arrival of Johnson and Paul they have added 10+ points to their average. Of course, when Devin Booker, high-scoring nights were a norm. Mikal Bridges has been a major contributor but more is needed out of Ayton who brings value but has been a tad inconsistent. The Suns will wish Booker returns soon. But the main question is what will be the team do with DeAndre Ayton. Also, there is a news that Jae Crowder can be traded and perhaps the Suns can get someone to bolster their depth in that case. They have missed Crowder dearly.

The Hawks come into this game after losing 125:129 against the Trail Blazers despite a 40 points outburst by DeJounte Murray, who stepped up in the absence of their leading scorer and assists leader Trae Young. The Hawks have now lost four of their last five which has undermined their five-game winning streak. Their play has been inconsistent throughout the season because of which they are at 26 losses and 25 wins.

Trae Young and DeJounte Murray have been a wonderful pair but it is the team’s frontline lack of production at times that has hurt the team. Mostly, the team defense hasn’t been turned on and the Atlanta season is now a spitting image of the last season. The Hawks lost their way for a couple of months and that is not a desirable window in the NBA because then catching up to the top squads becomes a tenuous task. Due to their second straight disappointing season, they may pull off some trades.

• Suns: OUT: Cameron Payne, Devin Booker, Landry Shamet;
• Hawks: PROBABLE: Trae Young.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Trae Young(28-34 Points), Mikal Bridges(24-29 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Deandre Ayton(12-17 Rebounds), Clint Capela(12-16 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Trae Young(10-12 Assists), Chris Paul(10-12 Assists).

The Suns have been playing a much more inspiring brand of basketball and with their Floor General Chris Paul active again, they are much more lethal. The Hawks are leaving too much work to be done by the end of the game and this tendency has hurt them all season long, their record doesn’t justify the talent on paper. I believe this will be a close game and the Hawks may surprise the Suns here. I predict a scoreline of 116:113 here.