Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks Play-In Prediction and Betting Preview
SportsMemo handicapper JM Sports gives his prediction for Friday’s Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks play-in showdown. At the time of posting, the road Hawks have opened as a 2.5-point favorite over the home Cavaliers, with the total sitting at 223.5 points.
Check out our NBA Picks page for top selections from some of the country’s top handicappers.
Friday, April 15 | NBA Betting Notes |
---|---|
Point Spread: | Cleveland Cavaliers +2.5 vs Atlanta Hawks |
Total: | 223.5 Points |
Game Time: | 7:35pm ET / 4:35pm PT |
Arena: | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH |
TV: | ESPN |
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks Preview
This is one of the earlier win-or-go-home situations that we have seen in the NBA playoffs, and this play-in tournament gives us the opportunity to see something that we don’t get to as often as some people may hope.
Game 7’s don’t roll around nearly as often as a fan of excitement would like to see, but they are about as nerve racking as they get.
Cavaliers Missing Allen
Cleveland has to be grateful for another opportunity to make the playoffs after their disappointing loss Brooklyn, and after sitting in a position to have home court advantage earlier in the season.
Cleveland still has an impressive 25-16 record on their home court, but they are still without the likes of Jarrett Allen and now they are forced to take on an Atlanta team that has gotten them in the last three meetings, but Cleveland is 4-1 on their home court against the Hawks in the last three seasons.
Although the Cavaliers don’t have history on their side as a home underdog in a win-or-go-home game, while normally the situation is game 7, home dogs are just 21-44 since 2011 in a decision making game of this caliber.
Yet, Cleveland is 7-3 in win-or-go-home games since 2011, even though most of those games included the likes of LeBron, the Cavs have a good history in this situation.
On top of that, Cleveland is 5-2 at home this season after allowing their previous opponent to shoot over 50%. A lot of the other aspects that are involved seem to point towards Atlanta taking the game.
The Cavaliers are just 6-16 in the month of April over the last 2 seasons, closing out the year on a rough note in consecutive years.
They are 3-7 at home on the season revenging a double digit loss to an opponent, and just 2-8 when playing as a home dog revenging a loss in general.
They are 1-7 as a home underdog when losing consecutive games against the opponent in their last 2 meetings and just 9-28 in the last two years when taking on teams that are shooting over 46% in the 2nd half of the season.
The return of Evan Mobley has been big, but can they close out the most important game of the season without Jarrett Allen?
Atlanta Annihilates Hornets
Atlanta is in a similar situation as Cleveland, yet the opposite, their road record of 16-25 doesn’t show the caliber that they have played to end the season.
Atlanta is coming off a big win, instead of clawing their way back into things after a loss. The Hawks may be just 2-4 in a game after holding their opponent under 40% shooting, but they are 15-5 in the last 20 opportunities as a favorite after holding their opponent to under 45% shooting.
Not only did they limit the field goal percentage of Charlotte in the last game, but they managed to shoot over 50% themselves, when they hold their opponent under 45% and shoot that well, the Hawks are 6-3 on the year.
They are 13-3 against teams that are forcing under 13 turnovers per game in the 2nd half of this season and they are 8-2 in their last 10 games against Eastern Conference opponents that aren’t in their division.
Their success has just seemed to grow recently after a big game, they are 15-2 in the last two years after consecutive double digit wins, and they are 11-2 in the last 13 games as a favorite following back-to-back wins of any caliber.
While the Atlanta continues to play without John Collins, is does look as though Chaundee Brown will be back for Friday’s game.
Lou Williams has also been added to the injury report as questionable, but I find it hard to believe that he will miss the opportunity to play in this game if there is any chance that he is healthy enough to be on the roster for this win-or-go-home opportunity.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction
The Spurs roll out a top 10 team as far as points scored per game is concerned but their defense has been sub-par.
Jakob Poeltl will have his hands full down low defending both Jaxon Hayes and Jonas Valanciunas given he’s healthy for this game.
Murray will do what he can to keep up with both C.J. McCollum and Brandon Ingram. Take New Orleans to cover the five points at home against the Spurs.
Prediction: Atlanta Hawks Moneyline (-145)
Interested in placing a bet on Friday’s Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks contest? DraftKings is offering a $1,000 Deposit Bonus for first-time bettors in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Michigan, Virginia, Wyoming, Arizona and Louisiana.
THANK YOU!!
I like to thank everyone for following along with the @WagerTalk #NBA Stat Sheet this season.
It helped me to a 64% NBA season which was #1 in Win% at Wagertalk!I will post a sheet during the first round of the #NBAPlayoffs2022!
THANK YOU AGAIN!! pic.twitter.com/9NEye135kt
— Ralph Michaels (@CalSportsLV) April 10, 2022
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks Notes from GoldSheet
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Friday’s sheet, with notes on the Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks contest.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Join Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of professional handicappers for the NBA Tip-Off Show every Monday-Friday at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss the NBA Playoffs. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of pro sports bettors as they preview the NBA Playoffs, including this Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks play-in game.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGU9vgX56go[/embedyt]
NBA Odds Screen
Sportsmemo’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NBA point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Friday’s NBA games, including this Cleveland Cavaliers vs Atlanta Hawks showdown, from your desktop or phone.
**************************************************
Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?
- Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Live odds updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
- Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips to help you become a better sports bettor. Wee also recommend browsing through our sports betting tips video library.
- Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.
Make sure to bookmark all the above!