Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Atlanta Hawks Free Pick
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The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks meet up in an Eastern Conference tussle. Both teams are playoff bound and could ultimately meet again in the playoffs. Cleveland is a 5.5 favorite, with a total of 194.5. ESPN will televise the affair starting at 8:00 EDT.
Cleveland will be going for their 60th SU win tonight against a team they have dominated of late. The Cavaliers are 59-16 SU, the best overall record in the NBA. Cleveland has won the past 8 meetings against the Hawks, so Cavaliers nation is confident that they will get win #60 tonight. F LeBron James scored a season high 48 PTS in their most recent game against the Hawks, a 106-101 SU victory. The Cavaliers are 33-4 SU and 16-21 at home this season. Cleveland is 30-34 ATS as the listed favorite this season. Cleveland has a 6.5 game lead for #1 seed in the Eastern Conference with only 7 games to play. Home court advantage for the Cavs will be vital considering just how dominant they've been at home this season. The Cavaliers have held 6 of their past 7 opponents under 100 PTS. Cleveland has outshot their opposition in 17 consecutive games, and for the season shoot 48.6%, the 3rd highest in the NBA. James averages a team high and NBA high 29.7 PPG this season for Cleveland.
The Cavaliers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 home games vs. a team with a losing road record. The under is 5-2 the last 7 games the Cavs were a home favorite. Cleveland is still nursing injuries to their front line stars. Center Shaquille O'Neal is out until later this month with a thumb injury. High energy Forward Anderson Varejao is questionable tonight with a hamstring injury.
Atlanta comes into tonight's contest more prepared than ever to beat Cleveland. Despite losing their past 8 games SU against the Cavs, the Hawks enter tonight with plenty of confidence. That's because Atlanta manhandled the Lakers in their last game 109-92 SU. The Hawks have won 7 of their past 10 games SU, including 9 straight at home. Atlanta is 48-26 SU this season, good enough for 3rd place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks have struggled of late on the road, losing their past 3 games SU, and 5 of their last 7 away from home. For the entire season, the Hawks actually have a losing record away from home, going 17-19 SU and 20-16 ATS. Atlanta is 11-7 ATS as the listed underdog this season. The Hawks are 18-10 ATS this season in the game after a double digit SU win. The Hawks scored 109 PTS against the Lakers, snapping a 4 game skid where they were held under 100 PTS. The Hawks are 8th in the NBA in scoring, averaging 102.1 PPG this season. 6
different Hawks players average 9 PTS or more this season, led by G Joe Johnson and his 21.4 PPG this year. Defensively, the Hawks have held 4 of their past 5 opponents to 98 PTS or fewer entering tonight's contest.
The Hawks are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games against a team with a home winning percentage greater than .600%. The over is 11-1 in the Hawks last 12 games following a SU win. The Hawks remain very healthy, as they have a clean injury report tonight.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 98-96 in favor of the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks +5.5 is the Play of the Day!
Johnny Detroit, Gambling911.com
