The Atlanta Hawks (66-26 SU, 54-36-2 ATS) have knotted their best-of-seven series against the Washington Wizards (52-37 SU, 39-47-3 ATS) at two games apiece.
Wednesday night's Game 5 though, could be the separator between these clubs once and for all.
THREE-POINT PARTY
The Hawks are going to jack up threes all night long here at home, and we have no reason to believe that they are going to miss gobs upon gobs of them.
In fact, in five home games this postseason, Atlanta has hit at least 10 three-pointers in each game, and it has averaged 11.6 triples per game as a team. On the road in the playoffs, the Hawks have only had two games out of five scoring in double figures, while they have averaged making 9.6 threes per game.
It seems like a simple equation, but when the Hawks hit a dozen threes or more, they tend to win. Less than that, and they tend to lose.
Outside of Golden State, there isn't a team here in the playoffs that can put points up in bunches better than the Hawks can, so always be careful in live betting situations if you're looking for reasons to take the Wizards.
A SERIES OF RUNS
The other major factor here to consider in live betting is when to go ahead and take the underdog team. We have seen some tremendous comebacks all throughout these playoffs across the whole league, but this series has by far been the most bizarre.
Atlanta was up nine going into the fourth quarter and was ahead by 12 early on in the last frame on Monday night. The Hawks were -7.5 in live betting at that point, but Washington just wouldn't go away. In fact, the Wizards were down by nine with less than two minutes to play before storming back at the end to get back within three with the ball.
In Game 3, the Wizards let by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter, only to see the Hawks storm all the way back and take the lead going into the final shot of the game when Paul Pierce "called game."
The runs are coming in this series, and they are coming both ways. Both teams had at least one run of 10+ points in each of the last two games. The key might simply be knowing that those runs are coming and not forgetting about them. It's easy to just think that a team, particularly if it is Atlanta, could run roughshod, but know that that big run will spoil those plans in live betting if you aren't careful.
WIZARDS RUNNING OUT OF MAGIC
The one concern that we really have with Washington is that it is running out of magic. If you took a look at the team which was on the floor playing those last dozen or so seconds out on Monday night, you saw a team which was tired.
John Wall's hand still looks like one of those big foam fingers, while Bradley Beal was clearly banged up after playing 44 minutes. Paul Pierce looked just a little long in the tooth, while Marcin Gortat was just physically dominated all over the paint at times.
Though the Wizards have had a great run to reach this point, they might be just too physically battered right now to get up off of the mat. If this one gets out of control, Randy Wittman might be best served giving his stars, particularly Beal, a big time rest. That could play a huge role in live betting, especially if Beal ends up not on the court for any long stretch of time with Wall already almost certainly out.
The NBA betting lines for this Wednesday game will be first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. Live wagering during commercials offers adjusted moneylines, totals and spreads. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards will go down Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at 8 p.m. ET at Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA. The matchup will be televised live on TNT.
