Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat betting tips and predictions for Friday’s NBA Eastern Conference Playoff game on ESPN. Facing a 2-0 deficit, the Atlanta Hawks return home for Game 3 of their 1st round match-up against the Miami Heat tonight at State Farm Arena. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Atlanta Hawks
In Game 2 we saw a much better performance by the Hawks, but they still let in 115 points and lost the game by 10 on the road. Trae Young finally shot the ball better, he finished with 25 points on 50% shooting from the field, however his 2-for-10 from three-point land is still worrying if you are a Hawks fan. Bogdan Bogdanovic played probably his best playoff game ever with 29 points on 12-for-18 shooting in just 28 minutes.
Other role players like Gallinari and Huerter will have to follow his example in Game 3 if Atlanta wants to make it a series out of this. So far in 6 meetings against the Heat they’ve lost 5 of them, but their only win came at home so that’s something to be optimistic about. They are 28-14 SU in home games this season, they’ve also covered the spread in 5 straight games there.
Miami Heat
Miami showed all of its versatility in the 2 games in this series so far. For example Duncan Robinson dominated in Game 1 with 8 threes made, in the 2nd game he finished with 0 points and just 7 minutes played, the Heat still ended up winning by 10 points. Jimmy Butler erupted for 45 points on an efficient 15-for-25 shooting without registering a single turnover. It remains to be seen if he can continue playing like that on the road, but one thing is certain – Miami likes their chances on the road.
They’ve won 7 of their last 8 games vs Eastern Conference opponents and against the Hawks they’ve covered the spread in 5 of their last 6 games. They were also one of the best road teams in the Eastern Conference during the regular season with 24 wins in 41 games.
This is a do or dies situation for the Hawks as no team ever in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Playoffs. They are a much better team at home than on the road, as we’ve seen that so many times during the regular season. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and back them to get at least one win at home against a much stronger opponent. Take the Hawks and the extra points.
Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat Predictions & Odds
The total has gone under in both games so far in this series, but with the two teams now moving to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4 we could witness a change in approach here from both sides. The Hawks remain without their centre Clint Capela who is out with a knee injury. That’s likely going to force them to play a lot faster in front of the home fans where they finished the regular season with a 23-19 record on the O/U. Miami has also gone over the total in more games than under during the regular season with a 26-15 record.
Their last 4 of 5 games on the road have all gone under the total, which is a bit odd considering they play at only the 29th fastest pace in the NBA averaging 98.2 possessions per game. I also believe the Hawks will get some calls in their favor now that they are playing at home, Miami took Trae Young out of the games so far with their physicality, I doubt that’ll happen in the next 2 games. The Hawks rank 1st in offensive efficiency this season, I think it’s time we finally see that on display against the Heat tonight. Let’s back the over.
