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The NBA regular season continues with games on Wednesday. The Miami Heat will travel to take on the Atlanta Hawks. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Heat-Hawks prediction and pick.
These two teams have had somewhat different starts to the season. The Miami Heat are 25-15 and are coming off back-to-back wins. While the Atlanta Hawks are 17-22 and are coming off back-to-back losses. This should be an interesting match between two teams trending in different directions.
Here are the Heat-Hawks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Heat-Hawks Odds
Miami Heat: +2.5 (-110)
Atlanta Hawks: -2.5 (-110)
Over: 223.5 (-110)
Under: 223.5 (-110)
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Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
The Miami Heat have had a very solid start to the season. Through the first half of the year, they have managed to win 25 games and lose only 15. Miami is coming off back-to-back wins, with their most recent victory coming over the Phoenix Suns by 23. However, the biggest battle for the Heat isn't their opponent. Miami is currently dealing with lots of injured players and will need their other roster members to step up on Wednesday. The Heat have already proven that they can battle without some of their top guys, so they will just need to continue to do so. If Miami can mimic their last performance then they should be able to steal this win on the road.
The Heat had a solid all-around game against the Suns and edged out Phoenix across nearly all metrics. Miami's victory was likely due to their ridiculously efficient scoring. The Heat went 44 for 88 from the field, compared to 30 for 79 from Phoenix. Even more impressive, Miami took 44 threes and made 22 of them. That type of efficiency from beyond the arc is nearly impossible to compete with. The Heat actually caught fire in that game and dominated the Suns. If Miami can carry that same energy and momentum into Wednesday's contest then they should have no problem putting away the Hawks.
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The biggest concern for this Heat team is injuries. Miami currently has seven players listed on their injury report. Of those seven players, only Dewayne Dedmon is questionable for Wednesday's game. The six other players, including Jimmy Butler and Markieff Morris, are listed as out for the game. These injuries have been devastating, yet the Heat have managed to remain competitive. Expect Miami to come out aggressive and ready to step things up against the Hawks. This Heat team has grit and it will be on full display on Wednesday.
Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread
The Atlanta Hawks have had a disappointing start to the season. Through the first half of the year, they have a losing record with only 17 wins and 22 losses. The Hawks are coming off tough back-to-back losses with their most recent defeat coming at the hands of the LA Clippers by 13. Atlanta has been struggling to win games lately. They are still suffering from injuries and COVID absences, but for the most part, they have their core roster. The Hawks will need to step things up on Wednesday if they want to take down the Heat. This should be a challenge for Atlanta, but they could certainly rise to the occasion.
Normally Atlanta does a solid job of creating offense and making shots, but that has been their main source of struggle recently. In their loss to the Clippers, the Hawks were an abysmal 7-for-26 from beyond the arc. In spite of making 10 more free throws than the Clippers, Atlanta still lost by 13. The Hawks were close in most categories, but just a lack of scoring efficiency proved to be their downfall. In that game, no player on the Hawks scored more than 19 points, and only four players scored in the double digits. Atlanta really needs their stars to step up if they want to start winning games.
While COVID and injuries aren't as big a concern as they used to be for the Hawks, this team is still affected. Atlanta currently has five players listed on the injury report. Of those five players, three are listed as questionable, including Cam Reddish and De'Andre Hunter. Every team is dealing with injuries, but for the most part, the Hawks have their key players available for Wednesday's game. On paper, Atlanta should be able to take down a crippled Miami team, but in practice, it could be a tough challenge.
Final Heat-Hawks Prediction & Pick
On the surface level, this looks like an easy decision. The Heat have lots of injuries, the Hawks are healthy, Atlanta should be able to win this one. However, when you peel back the narratives it becomes more complicated. In spite of the Hawks maybe having better players available, the Heat have been on fire. Miami's team has strung together some impressive victories, while Atlanta has struggled. So in spite of the Hawks maybe having a better team on paper, pick the Heat in this one. Pick Miami to win and cover and hope that the Hawks don't have a sudden resurgence.
FINAL HEAT-HAWKS PICK: Miami Heat +2.5 (-110)
FINAL HEAT-HAWKS SCORE PREDICTION: Heat 116 – Hawks 107
