A Golden State Warriors team that was revitalized by the trade deadline acquisition of Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat will look to continue their fight in a fiercely competitive Western Conference on the road this weekend, as they start a six-game road trip in Atlanta.
While the Warriors have surged since Butler’s arrival in early February, the Atlanta Hawks suffered a major setback with Jalen Johnson’s season-ending injury. Despite losing their versatile point forward, the Hawks have slowly chipped away at the standings as they try to climb out of the Eastern Conference play-in picture.
With an NBA League Pass special on tap this Saturday in Georgia, check out our Golden State Warriors vs. Atlanta Hawks predictions, including our NBA expert picks, with tip-off set for March 22 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Matchup Golden State Warriors vs Atlanta Hawks Overview
Teams: Golden State Warriors vs. Atlanta Hawks
Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: State Farm Arena
Win Probabilities
The projected winner of the matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks is: Golden State.
Projected Final Score
Our predicted final score for this NBA matchup is the Dubs picking up the W comfortably, with a final score of Atlanta Hawks 98-105 Golden State Warriors.
Expert Prediction: Who Wins?
Ahead of the NBA trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors found themselves in a crowded field of teams hovering around the upper echelon of the Western Conference play-in tournament, unlikely to make much noise beyond the early stages of the postseason.
The arrival of the ever-dramatic Jimmy Butler, however, has completely flipped the script. The Warriors are enjoying a honeymoon phase similar to what the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat once experienced, as Butler thrives once again in a franchise that has fully embraced him.
Golden State, too, is riding a high, as Butler breathed new life into the dying embers of what remained of the former dynasty. Now, with an offense that can consistently shoot the ball at an efficient clip paired with a defense performing at an elite level, the Warriors suddenly look like a genuine threat in the West.
The Atlanta Hawks, meanwhile, received no such boost at the deadline. Not only did Most Improved Player candidate Jalen Johnson suffer a season-ending injury, but De’Andre Hunter was finally moved after years of trade rumors, as Atlanta sent him to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite the Hawks’ weakened wing rotation, Trae Young and company remain on the fringe of the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Young, long known as a walking top-10 offense, has rediscovered that impact for a team ranked eighth in offensive rating over the last 10 games.
Styles make fights, and with one of the league’s most dominant defenses facing an offense catching fire at the right time, an intense battle is brewing in Atlanta.
Why the Golden State Warriors Can Cover
The Golden State Warriors can cover—and outright win—this matchup with the Atlanta Hawks for a straightforward reason: since Jimmy Butler’s arrival, they’ve elevated their play to one of the best teams in the league.
Since the trade deadline, the Dubs are 15-4, with the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder the only team to have won more during that span. They rank sixth in offensive rating, with Butler’s ability to attack the rim helping to free up a revitalized Steph Curry. That same effect has extended to Draymond Green and the Golden State defense, which has surged to second in defensive rating over the same stretch.
All told, this is a team that ranks fourth in net rating over a 20-game sample size. Even with the Hawks’ recent improvements, the gap in talent and two-way consistency is glaring. Atlanta, over the same stretch, is just 14th in net rating. Barring a vintage, red-hot shooting performance from Trae Young, it’s tough to see these laser-focused Dubs dropping the first game of a road trip.
Why the Atlanta Hawks Can Cover
While Steph Curry’s ability to go nuclear in any matchup skews the comparison, in a vacuum, the Hawks have the better-performing offense than the Warriors. The Hawks and Trae Young have found a place of stability and consistency that enables them to be competitive in almost any matchup.
With that being the case on Saturday night against the Dubs, it comes down to how Atlanta can exploit Golden State’s weaknesses to uncover an edge. Fortunately for the Hawks, a defense-into-offense strength of theirs aligns with a consistent weakness of Steve Kerr’s offense.
Under head coach Quin Snyder, with Clint Capela offering elite rim protection inside, the Hawks’ defense has grown more aggressive in jumping passing lanes. Though their defense ranks in the bottom half of the league, they force turnovers at an elite rate. Their season average of 16.1 turnovers forced per game is fourth in the league, trailing only relentless defenses like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic.
With one of the league’s finest passers at the helm in Young, Atlanta has done a great job converting those turnovers into points. The Hawks rank 10th in fast break points at 16.4 per game, and that ability to create extra possessions—and capitalize on them efficiently—provides a needed boost to a middling team.
In Kerr’s endless-motion, high-volume passing offense, turnovers are a natural—but unwanted—byproduct. The Dubs rank in the bottom half of the league in turnovers per game at 14.1, and that number has ballooned in recent games—even with Jimmy Butler’s ball-stopping tendencies.
The Dubs have the talent to overcome this weakness, but as a favorite against the Hawks, it opens up a path for the home squad to cover.
How to Make Golden State Warriors vs. Atlanta Hawks Picks
Ready to make picks on the Golden State Warriors vs. Atlanta Hawks matchup on Saturday, March 22? Head over to Sportzino, where you can find every NBA game on the slate this weekend and so much more!
