One Last Opportunity
The Atlanta Hawks were able to inch one step closer to the playoffs with their play-in tournament victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
It wasn’t even close, with Atlanta winning by 29 points, and covering the 4½-point spread in the sportsbook. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t so lucky.
They went up against the Brooklyn Nets and there was just nothing that they could do. Brooklyn drained practically every shot that in the first half, dropping the Cavs into a deep hole.
Will Cleveland blow both of their play-in games or will Atlanta get knocked out of the playoffs? Let’s take a closer look at this NBA game betting preview and determine which way to go versus the NBA odds.
Let’s check the latest NBA picks, stats, injury reports, and NBA odds for Hawks vs Cavaliers. We’ve plenty of NBA Playoffs Odds for you to consider.
Injuries Lingering for Hawks
It’s always hard to win games when your star players are struggling with various injuries. For the Hawks, they have a couple key players ailing right now.
John Collins has missed their last few games with a finger injury and is already ruled out for this contest. The same goes for veteran guard Lou Williams.
Bogdan Bogdanovic was also thrown onto the list with a sprained ankle and is questionable. Luckily, the Hawks have a fantastic pick-and-roll duo in Trae Young and Clint Capela.
Young averages 28.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 9.7 assists while Capela snags 11.9 boards a contest. With their roster getting thinned down, Young and Capela will need to be at the top of their game.
Cavaliers Have To Start Better
Cleveland figured out the hard way that going down by 20 points in the first half isn’t the way to win important games in the NBA. Even though the Cavaliers battled back to lose by only seven, the margin was too deep to overcome.
This team may be without shorthanded once again as Jarrett Allen is out. Combined with the early-season loss of Collin Sexton, that removes two playmakers that have been integral to the team.
Darius Garland. averaging 21.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists, is leading the way. He’s paired well with star rookie Evan Mobley, who has benefited from the play of his point guard,
Mobley is pitching in 15.0 points but is also not fully 100 percent. This team is young and inexperienced and has a number of injuries that are holding them back. That’s why those who bet online see them as an underdog in this spot.
Hawks vs Cavaliers Head-to-Head
The Cavaliers won the first matchup against the Hawks this sason. However, they have lost their last three games against them. Atlanta scored at least 121 points in each of their three wins.
Hawks vs Cavaliers Game Information
- Game: Hawks (43-39) vs Cavaliers (44-38)
- Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, OH
- Day/Time: Friday, April 15th 7:30 p.m. ET
- Hawks vs Cavaliers Live stream: NBA Game Pass
Hawks vs Cavaliers Betting Lines
Hawks vs Cavaliers Prediction
It’s hard to imagine that Cleveland will lose both of its play-in tournament games despite finishing as the seventh seed in the East at the end of the season.
Injuries have really hurt the Cavs down the stretch as well as their inexperience in big games. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look too good for them.
Atlanta has been wildly inconsistent but this was the same team that we saw go into the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago.
Young and Co. aren’t afraid of the big moment and it could push the Hawks over the top in this final play-in affair. The Cavs have covered just four times in their last 14 as an underdog, which isn’t a great sign.
