The set-up: The Hawks broke a three-game slide with a 132-121 win over Toronto on Saturday. The Hawks are now 11-12. After a terrible stretch, the Mavericks have started to play better of late as well, winning two of their last three after dropping six straight. The Mavericks are 11-14. Clearly the first thing that comes to mind when we think about these two teams is dynamic offenses and teams which play very little defense on any given night. So why is this particular game going to fall "under?"

The pick: Atlanta's seen the total go "under" in eight of its last 11 after scoring 130 or more points in a SU/ATS home victory. Dallas has seen the total dip below the number in 14 of its last 20 after playing to four or more straight "overs." Sometimes non-conference games can lead to some higher-scoring games, but I don't expect that to be the case here. I look for these two hungry teams to play a tighter contest than what this sky-high total would suggest.

This is a 10* NON-CONFERENCE TOTAL OF THE MONTH on the UNDER Hawks/Mavericks.