Atlanta Hawks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, NBA Odds
It comes down to one game for Atlanta and Cleveland as the winner of Friday’s play-in contest will claim the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and face the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, while the loser’s season will come to a close. The Hawks blew by Charlotte 132-103 in their first play-in game on Wednesday. The Cavaliers had a chance to clinch the seventh seed on Tuesday, but fell to Brooklyn 115-108.
Atlanta is a 2.5-point favourite to win on the NBA odds, with a total of 232.5.
Hawks vs. Cavaliers NBA Betting Odds
It’s been all Hawks between these teams this year, with Atlanta sweeping the three-game regular season series. The last time the teams played, the Hawks routed the Cavaliers 131-107 in Atlanta.
The Hawks weren’t great on the road this season, going 16-25 outside of Atlanta. They were just 37-45 against the spread in the regular season, but they have managed to cover in their last six games as a favourite. Atlanta hit the Over in five of those six games.
Cleveland reached the play-in tournament with a winning home record, going 25-16 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. They were also the better cover option between the two teams in the regular season, with the Cavs going 42-37-3 ATS overall. Another high scoring team, the total has gone Over in five of the Cavaliers’ last six games coming off a loss.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are flying right now with eight wins over their last 11 games, including the blowout win over Charlotte on Wednesday. Trae Young had a slow start against the Hornets, before hitting his stride and finishing with 24 points and 11 assists. De’Andre Hunter added 22 points, while Danilo Gallinari had 18. Clint Capela had a monster 15-point, 17-rebound performance. All five Atlanta starters finished the game with double-digit points. It’s been a largely disappointing regular season for the Hawks, who expected big things after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
Young is a major part of this team and how he goes, the team generally follows. He is averaging a team-high 28.4 points per game and is third in the NBA with 9.7 assists. John Collins, who hasn’t played since March 11 as he deals with a sprained foot and sprained finger, has reportedly stepped up workouts but is not likely to play on Friday. Lou Williams (back) is questionable to play on Friday after missing Wednesday’s contest and the final three regular season games.
Cleveland Cavaliers
After a brutal first quarter that found Cleveland down 40-20, the Cavs clawed their way back into the game, before their comeback bid fell short on Tuesday. Darius Garland led the way for Cleveland, finishing with 34 points and five assists. Rookie Evan Mobley had 19 points and seven rebounds, while Kevin Love added 14 points and 13 boards.
It looked like All-Star centre Jarrett Allen was in line to return from a broken finger on Tuesday, but he was ultimately kept out of the lineup. There’s been no announcement for his status on Friday, but it sounds like he’s close to a return. Allen is second on the team with 16.1 ppg. Garland is averaging team-highs in points (21.7), assists (8.6) and steals (1.3). Mobley is averaging 15.0 ppg and has team-highs in rebounds (8.3) and blocks (1.7).
ATL
CLE