Denver Nuggets vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction: Dominant Denver takes on unpredictable Hawks

NBA midseason is on and we are heading toward the trade deadline, a period where the rumor mill churns at its best. Kyrie Irving has reportedly expressed a desire to move away from the Nets, which has shocked many fans(myself included) considering how well things were clicking. However, it is no secret that Nets and Kyrie have been at odds rather way too much for various reasons. More about that later. For now, let us talk about this battle brewing between the Denver Nuggets and the Atlanta Hawks.

The Nuggets enter the game after defeating the Warriors 134:117 as Jamal Murray stacked up 33 points. Murray has now scored 30+ in two straight games. They have won two in a row to recover from a window after they lost three of their four games. The Nuggets have been much more dominant than the recent window which involved a three-game road trip and have a highly impressive record of 36 wins and 16 losses. The Nuggets won’t mind the recent period because Murray has been amazing, averaging over 20 since January. Nikola Jokic is having another MVP-styled campaign and the support around him is much better compared to last season.

The Hawks enter the game after defeating the Jazz 115:108 as Trae Young dropped 27 points. They have won two in a row to help them overcome four losses and one win period before that. Thanks to a five-game winning streak before that, they have kept afloat with 27 wins and 26 losses, in range for at least a Play-in tournament slate. They’d love to get in the top six and have the opportunity to do so with 25+ games to go, however, for that to happen, they need to avoid big losing slumps. The backcourt of Young and Murray has done well but the frontline has been consistent. There are also murmurs that John Collins can be traded before the deadline

The Nuggets come into this game with a lot of confidence even if Jokic and Gordon are questionable. Murray has been on fire lately which is why that confidence should be intact whereas having Michael Porter Jr. also helps. The Hawks can turn it on the offensive end but they face a deep Denver squad that is relentless at home. I predict a Denver win here and predict a scoreline of 125:117.