Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks Preview
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta
When: Wednesday, December 7, 2016, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Miami Heat (+8) vs. Atlanta Hawks (-8); total: 200.0 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
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Betting on the Miami Heat (+8)
Miami suffered another setback Tuesday, as the Heat absorbed a 114-103 loss at the hands of the surging Knicks. Up ahead is a rematch with the Hawks, whom they also lost to 93-90 on November 15.
Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside formed an excellent inside-outside combo against the Knicks, scoring 29 and 23 points, respectively.
Dragic wasn’t around when the Heat lost to Atlanta the last time around so the outcome of that contest is arguably moot. In any case, having Dragic on the floor is a big plus for the Heat, who went 11-for-25 from the three-point area against the Knicks with the Slovenian guard accounting for four treys.
Whiteside, on the other hand, will be instrumental on defense, particularly on the glass. He had a monster double-double of 19 points and 25 rebounds in the November tussle with Atlanta.
Overall, the Heat are seventh in the league with 44.8 rebounds per game.
Miami is 3-1 SU and ATS in its last four road games.
Betting on the Atlanta Hawks (-8)
It’s been a free fall for Atlanta of late. The Hawks were once again unable to get out of their slump, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder at home Monday night, 102-99, thus prolonging their skid to seven games.
Offense has simply been not right for Atlanta over the course of its rut, averaging just 91.0 PPG in those seven games, the fewest among all teams during the same stretch. The Hawks, however, don’t really need to score a lot against another offensively challenged team like Miami, which is just 28th in the NBA in points per game. In a the aforementioned previous meeting with the Heat, Atlanta shot 46.3 percent from the floor and won a low-scoring game.
Dennis Schroder led the Hawks in that game with 18 points while Mike Muscala and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 and 15 points off the bench, respectively.
The Hawks’ defense is expected to carry the team later tonight, however. They are 11th in the NBA with 102.3 points allowed per game.
Atlanta is 4-2 ATS in its last six home games against Miami.
Writer’s Prediction
Miami (+8) wins, 97-92.
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