The Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks close out their four-game regular season series tonight. The Heat fell short in the first meeting and then won the previous two. They’ll be aiming to win the series for the first time in three seasons against the Atlanta Hawks, who swept them, 4-0, last year. Can Miami succeed in doing so even with a depleted lineup? Or will the Hawks seize the glory in front of a raucous Philips Arena crowd?
Read on below for a complete breakdown of this Southeast Division showdown. And while you’re at it, check out our preview of the Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder.
Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks Preview
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
When: Friday, February 19, 2016, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Miami Heat (+9.5) at Atlanta Hawks (-9.5); total: 196.5– view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: FSS, SUN
Betting on the Miami Heat (29-24)
Dwyane Wade’s going to have to turn back the clock tonight especially with the Miami Heat playing without Chris Bosh (blood clot), Hassan Whiteside (suspension) and Tyler Johnson (shoulder) in this matchup with the Atlanta Hawks.
Of course, Wade alone won’t be enough to take down a solid Atlanta defense that’s allowing less than a hundred points. Given this, the Heat will really need Goran Dragic and Luol Deng to make their presences known in this game. Both players have had a so-so campaign thus far, scoring 12.2 and 10.6 points, respectively.
Amar’e Stoudemire, meanwhile, ought to do his best impersonation of Whiteside, who holds a league-best 3.9 blocks per game, in preventing any easy buckets towards the cup. Stoudemire may be way past his prime already, but he can still get the job done on certain occasions. He finished with 13 points along with 12 boards, three steals and a block during their past meeting versus the Hawks on January 31.
Miami is 6-4 SU and ATS in its last 10 road games.
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Betting on the Atlanta Hawks (31-24)
Following back-to-back losses to Orlando, the Atlanta Hawks made sure to enter All-Star Weekend on a high note by beating a Jimmy Butler-less Bulls squad, 113-90. Now, the division-leading Hawks will look to replicate that dominant win when they welcome the Miami Heat into Philips Arena this evening.
The offense has been on track for the Hawks lately as they’ve topped 100 points in five of their past six games. All-Star Paul Millsap has been a key reason for this current success, posting at least 10 or more points in all but one of his games in this month of February.
He should be able to find more opportunities later with Miami’s Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside sidelined. Throughout 23 career games in this matchup, Millsap is averaging 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 50.2 percent from the field.
Furthermore, Jeff Teague will also be poised to have another promising outing. He’s been on a rampage over his last eight games, scoring 19.4 points and dishing out 5.5 assists during that stretch. Teague also had 15 points and six assists in their previous encounter with the Heat.
Even with a shorthanded Miami team, the Hawks can’t be too confident and slack off at the defensive end of the floor. They still have to worry about guarding Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic, who can both get hot once they find a rhythm, all game long. But it’s a good thing that Atlanta’s defense has been slightly better at home this season, giving up just 98.2 points per contest.
Atlanta is 7-3 SU and 6-3-1 ATS in its last 10 games at Philips Arena.
Writer’s Prediction
Atlanta (-9.5) pulls away in the fourth quarter to notch the 101-89 triumph.
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