Toronto at Atlanta

Two of the best defensive teams in the NBA clash. Toronto is fifth in points allowed, Atlanta is sixth. Both are in the top 12 in field goal shooting defense in the league (Atlanta is first, allowing 43%), plus the Hawks are fifth at defending the three-pointer. Toronto already has the second seed in the East locked up and the offensive has been taking it easy, scoring under 100 points in three straight. But the defense is still stellar, off a win over Charlotte allowing 90 points and allowing less than 35 per cent shooting as part of a 9-7 run UNDER the total. They match up well defensively with an Atlanta squad they have owned this season. The Hawks are on an 8-3 run UNDER the total at home and they need a strong defensive performance, tied with Boston for the third seed. Atlanta lost back-to-back games and trailed struggling Phoenix by 13 in the third quarter before recovering for the victory the last outing. The defensive effort saved the day for the Hawks as they forced 24 turnovers and limited the Suns to 18 or fewer points in each of the final three quarters. Take this one to finish UNDER the total.