The Toronto Raptors face the Atlanta Hawks for the first time this season in Sunday’s highest-projected scoring matchup.
The pregame narrative: At a projected over/under hovering near 240 points, both teams should light up the box score at Scotiabank Arena. I’m backing one shooter from each side — Gradey Dick and Trae Young — to do just that.
Check out my Hawks vs. Raptors prop picks for Dec. 29.
Hawks vs. Raptors prop picks
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Best Bet: Dick over 2.5 threes (-112)
Atlanta is truly 1-of-1 as a matchup for opposing 3-point shooters.
- Most made 3s allowed (16.0/game)
- Most attempted 3s allowed (41.6/game)
- 2nd-highest 3PT% (38.4)
Atlanta allows a league-high volume of 3-pointers at a sky-high efficiency. This is a dream for anyone who likes to fire from deep.
And Dick is one of those guys, hoisting 7.1 threes per game this season. The second-year shooting guard is a full-time starter, and his shot volume has essentially doubled compared to his rookie campaign.
Since the start of December, Dick has attempted 7.4 threes per game and cashed 2.8 of them. Those numbers both pace the Raptors.
Last year, Dick went 6-for-13 (46.2%) from beyond the arc over three matchups against the Hawks. He came off the bench in each of those games and only cleared this prop once.
As a starter and the team’s top gunner from 3-point range, I expect Dick to fire away freely against Atlanta tonight.
Key stat: Dick has gone over 2.5 threes in seven of his past 12 games, averaging 2.7 makes in that span.
Quick pick
Young over 23.5 points (-118): Young has cut back on shooting and is taking his facilitating game to new heights. But in what should be a high-scoring matchup, this is still a number he can clear.
The NBA’s assists leader (12.2 APG) has 27-plus points in three of his past five games.
He may not be shooting as much from the field — averaging 16.7 FGA, his fewest since 2018-19 — but Young is still in the league’s top 20 for free throw attempts (6.6/game).
Toronto yields the most free throw attempts per game to its opponents.
Last season, Young hit the 30-point mark in three of four matchups against the Raptors.
Picks made at 1:15 p.m. ET 12/29/2024.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.