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Hawks vs Cavaliers Play-In Game Odds & Picks

Eric Rosales

by Eric Rosales in NBA Basketball

Updated Dec 19, 2022 · 2:34 PM PST

Trae Young drives on Darius Garland
Dec 23, 2019; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
  • Atlanta is a 2-point road favorite in the Play-In game vs Cleveland Friday
  • The winner nabs the 8-seed, and draws the Miami Heat in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs
  • See the Hawks vs Cavaliers odds and preview, as they battle for the last remaining playoff spot

The final playoff spot in the East will be settled Friday night, when the Atlanta Hawks travel to Cleveland to battle the Cavaliers.

The winner locks into the 8-seed and will travel to Miami to kick off the First Round against the top-seeded Heat.

Atlanta fought their way to this spot with a 132-103 drubbing of the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night.

Cleveland lost their 7-8 matchup with the Brooklyn Nets 115-108, but can still punch their ticket with a win at home.

It all gets underway at 7:30pm ET from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, in a game that can be seen live on ESPN.

The visiting Hawks are 2-point favorites.

Hawks vs Cavaliers Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Atlanta Hawks -135 -2.0 (-110) Ov 223.0 (-110)
Cleveland Cavaliers +115 +2.0 (-110) Un 223.0 (-110)

Odds as of April 14th at Caesars Sportsbook

The NBA betting trends show the public is riding with Atlanta, who ran all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago.

A whopping 91% of the money on the spread is on the Hawks, including 86% of all bets.

The total handle is cut right at 50%, while the public is leaning heavy on Atlanta on the moneyline as well, with 86% of the handle and 76% of the total bets leaning on the road team.

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Hawks Betting Analysis

We predicted that Trae Young wouldn’t go off, but he, like many of his Hawks teammates, were very good in crushing the Hornets.

Six different players – including all five starters — hit double-digits, led by Young’s 24 points and 11 assists. He didn’t shoot it well, however, going 8-for-24 from the field and just 1-for-7 from downtown.

Deandre Hunter finished with 22 points and seven boards, doing most of his damage in a runaway third quarter where Atlanta outscored Charlotte 42-24.

Big man Clint Capela was a force, piling up 15 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks. Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic each had 13 points and both led the team with three 3-pointers made.

Atlanta could get John Collins (finger) and Lou Williams (back) for Friday.

Cavaliers Betting Analysis

The Cavaliers looked every bit the inexperienced team they were predicted to be in their play-in loss to the Nets.

A 40-20 first quarter deficit and Kyrie Irving going supernova kept the Nets comfortably in front for the duration of the game.

When the Cavs did eventually settle down, their defense kept them in the game, as they held BK to just 45 points in the second and third quarters to get in range.

 

Cleveland had worked it to a 6-point game with five minutes to play, but couldn’t get any closer.

All-star guard Darius Garland went for 34 points and five assists, though he did also commit a team-high six turnovers.

Rookie Evan Mobley also found his form, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks. Veteran Kevin Love chipped in with 14 off the bench, including a 3-for-4 mark from downtown.

Their big question mark is the status of big man Jarrett Allen, who has missed 19 games with a finger injury. He’s listed as a game-time decision. If he can go, it will mark the first time in five games this year the Cavs would have their starting five available against the Hawks.

Hawks vs Cavaliers Prediction

All signs are pointing Atlanta, as they took three of four head-to-head matchups and Young dominated. The NBA’s fourth-leading scoring averaged 32.5 points and nine assists on 46.1% shooting from the field and 41.2% from the 3-point line.

The only game they lost was when Trae was held under 30 points.

Other stats may deter you, though: Atlanta was just 14-27 against the spread on the road this season (16-25 straight up). They’ve also dropped nine straight road games against top-10 teams in each conference, last winning Jan. 23.

Cleveland ranked fifth in opposition scoring on the year, holding teams to 105.7 points per game, but they’re clearly a compromised unit with Allen out. If their other all-star can’t go, Mobley will be tasked with guarding Capela and he’ll likely need to win that battle for the Cavs to be successful.

The Cavs are a healthy 9-5-1 ATS as a home ‘dog, and have a crisp 25-16 record at home this year.

It’s a tricky and risky proposition picking by the spread, so I’d suggest playing the total.

Atlanta can put up points (6th overall), and three of their four matchups this year cruised past that total.

Expect more of the same in an entertaining one Friday.

The Pick: OVER 223.0 (-110)

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