Denver Nuggets vs. Atlanta Hawks: NBA Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

On Thursday, the Atlanta Hawks will face the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in their first game of the new year. The Hawks are riding a five-game winning streak.

Atlanta comes into Thursday's matchup on a four-game winning streak and is looking to keep their momentum going in the Eastern Conference. On the other hand, the hosts have been all over the map in the weeks coming up to the new year.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

The 2024 season came to a spectacular close for the Denver Nuggets on Monday night at the Delta Center as they cruised to a 132-121 victory over the Utah Jazz.

The five Nuggets starters all reached double digits, but floor general Nikola Jokic was the most impressive. Jokic recorded his thirteenth triple-double of the season with 36 points, eleven assists, and twenty-two rebounds.

At the Delta Center, Russell Westbrook also put up a strong performance, going 7-for-7 from outside the arc to finish with 16 points, 10 boards, and 10 assists. Jamal Murray, meanwhile, dropped a double-double of 20 points and 10 assists.

After losing to the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers in consecutive games, they bounced back with a 134-121 home victory over the Detroit Pistons on December 29.

With eight victories in their last fourteen games since the beginning of December, Michael Malone's squad improved to 18-13 on the season. They are now in sixth place in the Western Conference, one game ahead of the seventh-place Los Angeles Lakers.

In their first game of the new year, the Nuggets will be looking to keep their winning streak going against a team that has lost their last four regular-season games dating back to December 2022, when they defeated the Jazz 117-109.

However, with a 136-107 drubbing of the Toronto Raptors to round out the year in style, the Atlanta Hawks kept climbing the Eastern Conference power rankings.

In a reversal of fortunes following his cold shooting performance the night before against the Miami Heat, Trae Young led Atlanta to a resounding victory at Scotiabank Arena with 34 points and 10 assists.

Not only did Young finish in double figures, but seven other Hawks players did as well. De'Andre Hunter had 22, Jalen Johnson had 15, and Clint Capela had 11, with 12 rebounds accompanying his ninth double-double.

Following a four-game losing streak, Atlanta has won their last four games in a row, sweeping the Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, and Raptors.

With this impressive finish, Quin Snyder's squad improved to 18-15 for the season (based on 33 games played) and rose to fifth place in the Eastern Conference, one spot behind the fourth-place Orlando Magic.

The Hawks will be playing their second game of a six-game road trip on Thursday. Since November 28, they have won five of their previous seven away games, losing only to the Milwaukee Bucks and the San Antonio Spurs.

Denver Nuggets vs. Atlanta Hawks Team News

Forward Vlatko Cancar will not be able to contribute to the Denver Nuggets until at least mid-January, following his re-evaluation following knee surgery.

Along with him on the injury report is veteran forward Aaron Gordon, who has been out for the past three games after hurting his calf in the team's showdown with the Phoenix Suns on Boxing Day.

Regarding the Hawks, veteran forward Larry Nance Jr. will miss Thursday's game due to a broken metacarpal bone in his right hand; he is scheduled for surgery soon.

After suffering a serious shoulder injury, Kobe Bufkin will miss the rest of the 2024–25 season, and Bogdan Bogdanovic will sit out the game versus the Raptors with a leg ailment.

Cody Zeller has not played for the Hawks since joining the team in July after joining from the New Orleans Pelicans. Dyson Daniels was also out for the aforementioned game with an illness; both players are now listed as day-to-day.

Our predictions

Denver Nuggets to win @ 1.56 on Sky247.ng

The Denver Nuggets may have been inconsistent as of late, but their two tough wins against the Pistons and the Jazz in 2024's last two games should set the stage for a strong start to the new year.

While the Hawks have been on fire as of late, Malone's squad can continue their recent dominance in this matchup and extend their regular-season winning streak over the visitors to five games.

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