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The battle for the 8-seed begins Friday night as the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Atlanta Hawks. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Hawks-Cavaliers prediction and pick.
Atlanta worked their way into this game after a blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night 132-103. The game was close in the first half but the Hawks took over in the second half to ultimately dominate the Hornets. The Hawks finished 9th in the Eastern Conference with a (43-39) record which led to them hosting Charlotte.
The Cavaliers (44-38) finished 8th in the East which led to them playing on the road in Brooklyn. The Nets led the entire game but the Cavs never quit. They lost 115-108 but were the better team for three of the four quarters. The Nets took a 40-20 lead into the second quarter but the Cavs scored more in each of the three remaining quarters. Cleveland fell short of the comeback. They still have a chance at redemption to earn the final 8-seed to play the 1-seed Miami Heat.
According to Shams Charania, Jarrett Allen will try and give it a go Friday night against the Hawks.
Here are the Hawks-Cavaliers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Hawks-Cavaliers Odds
Atlanta Hawks: -2 (-110)
Cleveland Cavaliers: +2 (-110)
Over: 223 (-110)
Under: 223 (-110)
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Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread
The Hawks come into this game as the favorite on the road Friday night. This is largely due to their 30-point victory against the Hornets. Not to mention, the Hawks have the experience over the Cavs. Atlanta made their way to the Eastern Conference Finals last season but lost to the NBA Champions Milwaukee Bucks.
The Hawks exploded for 42 points in the third quarter Wednesday night as the offense finally erupted. Trae Young ended the game with only 24 points which was a team-high, but the rest of the lineup all scored in double digits. De'Andre Hunter scored 22 and Danilo Gallinari score 18. Clint Capela notched a double-double with 15 points and 17 rebounds to give them a huge edge over the Hornets in rebounds 54-41. Young also ended with 11 assists.
The Hawks can take down the Cavaliers and cover the spread by playing exactly how they played against the Hornets. I do believe the Cavs are a tougher team to beat than Charlotte, but as long as they defend the frontcourt with Capela they have a chance. Kevin Love and Evan Mobley won't be easy to shut down as they both played very well against the Nets. Their main focus will be to shut down Darius Garland who scored 34 in the loss.
Why The Cavaliers Could Cover The Spread
Cleveland is in an interesting spot here as the underdogs. Homecourt advantage is huge in the playoffs and you know that Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will be a factor tonight. It's unlucky that Trae Young will be the opposition because he seems to elevate his game on the big stage.
As mentioned above, Garland almost led the Cavs to a comeback against the Nets with his performance. The 22-year-old guard averaged just north of 21 points per game on the season and was a major part of their success this year. His matchup against Young will be one for the ages as these two young guards can take over any arena they step into. They both will likely play well, so the advantage will come in the frontcourt. If Love and Mobley play as they did against the Nets, then they will have a chance to cover this spread as the underdogs.
Atlanta ended the season (37-45) against the spread as the Cavaliers ended (42-37-3) ATS. The one to focus on is the home/away splits as Atlanta was just (16-25) on the road and the Cavs were (25-16) ATS at home.
Final Hawks-Cavaliers Prediction & Pick
I think the experience ends up paying off tonight. The game will be close but the Hawks are favored for a reason. Take the Hawks to take down the Cavs as they will advance to take on the Miami Heat.
Final Hawks-Cavaliers Pick: Hawks -2 (-110)
