Odds Tilt in Favor of Nets with Hawks’ F Smith Serving One-Game Suspension

Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

The Brooklyn Nets gained an edge in Wednesday night’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks following the team’s one-game suspension of forward Josh Smith, citing “conduct detrimental to the team.”

The Hawks star was kicked out of practice on Tuesday for something that we can only expect was unreasonable actions. He was immediately apologetic to his teammates after the situation.

“Clearly I am competitive and was frustrated by our recent losses,” Smith said in a statement that was released by the team. “I understand the respect the team’s actions and just want to get back on the court to do whatever is necessary to help my teammates. I apologize for letting them down and apologize to our fans for not being available for tonight’s game.”

The one-game suspension could very well be the difference maker between the clash of Eastern Conference foes. Smith has been the Hawks leading scorer, averaging 16.5 points per game to go along with 2.3 blocked shots and 8.3 rebounds.

The Hawks have hit a downturn in their play as of late dropping six of the last seven games, including a 97-58 shellacking at the hands of the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. The sentiment gets compounded during their skid when the losses are against such basement-dwelling teams as the Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The recent fall from grace has caused them to drop to sixth place in the conference with no end in sight. If they lose the contest against the underdog Nets (by 3.5 according to BetOnline), they’ll fall even deeper into a hole in which they may have no answer for.

Meanwhile,  the Nets are coming off a solid win against the Raptors, winning 113-106. Their defense has been the main contributor to their early season success this year, ranking at No. 5 in the league allowing just 94.4 points per contest. They’ll have an easier time against the No. 18-ranked offense (95.4) which will be without Smith’s 16.5 points per game.

“Our confidence is high right now, definitely as a group,” said Williams, who leads the team with 16.9 points per game. “And when you’re winning, when you’re having fun, I think everybody picks their game up a little bit and feels like they have to if they want to join in, if they don’t want to be left out.”

The odds are in favor of the Nets, who look to expound upon their recent success. Take Brooklyn in this matchup.