Hawks vs. Cavaliers Pick
Will the Cleveland Cavaliers cruise to a big win at home tonight when they host the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Cavs are favored in today’s game, as they are getting odds of -11 points against the Hawks. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 216 points. The road team has won and covered the spread in both meetings this season.
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Cleveland is coming off a big 114-91 win over the Celtics in Boston to get to 51-27 on the season. The Cavs have won four straight and now hold a 1.5-game lead on the Celtics for first in the East. Cleveland comes into today 35-40-3 against the spread. The Cavs are averaging 110.5 points per game on the season while allowing 106.7 on defense. Over its last five, Cleveland is putting up 117.2 on offense while giving up 105.4. LeBron James is averaging 26.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game to lead the team. Tristan Thompson won’t be available again because of a thumb injury. He is averaging 8.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.
The Hawks are coming off a 123-116 win over the Celtics at home last night to improve to 40-38 on the season. Atlanta is fifth in the East right now, but has yet to actually clinch a playoff spot. The Hawks are ½ a game ahead of the Bucks for the fifth seed and just 2 games ahead of the Heat, who sit in ninth. The Hawks have covered in three of their last four games to move to 36-42 ATS on the season. On the season, Atlanta averages 102.9 points per game on offense while giving up 104.2 on defense. Over its last five games, the Hawks are averaging 100.6 points on offense while giving up just 99.2 on defense. Leading scorer Paul Millsap will be resting today. He averages 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Dennis Schroder adds 18.1 points and 6.3 assists per game. He will be in the lineup.
The Cavs have gotten back on track as of late, beating up on the likes of Philadelphia, Orlando and Boston. The Cavs know they can wrap up the East with a few more wins, so they won’t be taking tonight off from an effort standpoint. The Hawks are not going to have their top player, which certainly won’t help compete against the Cavs’ Big 3.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: CLEVELAND CAVALIERS -11