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The Cleveland Cavaliers are tied atop the Eastern Conference as the regular season comes down to the wire. They can’t afford any slip-ups, which includes taking care of business against the Atlanta Hawks this week.
Cleveland plays at home in this matchup and despite the recent struggles will certainly be the favorite in this showdown. While the Hawks don’t have goals as lofty as Cleveland, they are in the middle of the playoff race as well and would love to move up in the standings down the stretch.
Cleveland has had trouble with inferior opponents lately but will aim to break out of it in this matchup.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, April 7, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The game will be televised live on NBA TV.
We'll have NBA odds available for this and every game on the NBA Friday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Cleveland is 50-27 straight up and 34-41-2 against the spread. The Cavaliers have been solid at home this season, covering in 19 of 39 tries while pushing twice. Cleveland is 31-32-2 as the favorite on the season and will definitely be giving points again in this matchup.
Atlanta is 39-38 straight up and 35-42 against the spread. The Hawks have played 39 road games this season and have performed well with 21 covers against the spread. Atlanta is 15-10 against the spread as the underdog this season.
Scheduling Situation
Atlanta currently occupies the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference standings, but with such a tight race for the last few playoff spots, there could definitely be some changes over the next few games. That’s especially true when you consider the Hawks’ next three matchups -- Boston at home on April 6th and then Cleveland in back-to-back games over the weekend.
Only two games currently separate Atlanta from the No. 9 Indiana Pacers, who are on the outside looking in right now. The Hawks must buckle down over these next few matchups to ensure they stay in the playoff race.
Atlanta has split victories with both Cleveland and Boston this season so a couple victories is surely possible, albeit tough. The Hawks finish the season facing Charlotte and Indiana this year.
Player to Watch
Kyrie Irving -- The last time these two teams met on March 3rd, the Cleveland point guard put up 43 points in the Cavaliers’ 135-130 win in Atlanta. He had 29 points in the squads’ first meeting on November 8th and will look for another big performance this weekend at home.
Irving is averaging 25.1 points and 5.7 assists per game this season. He had two 40-plus point games in the month of March and also scored a season-high 49 points against New Orleans on January 23rd.
Irving teams up with superstar LeBron James and Kevin Love to lead an offense that is averaging 110.3 points per game. The trio combines for 70.5 points per game and when they’re on, they’re tough to beat.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Cavaliers have sputtered of late to give the Celtics a chance at catching them for the Eastern Conference’s regular season crown. Cleveland is still the favorite to emerge from the East and return to the NBA Finals, but it won’t be as easy if it doesn’t have home court advantage all the way through.
Cleveland needs to turn it on down the stretch in order to establish itself as a legitimate title contender, and a game against a .500 team at home is something it needs to capture easily. The Hawks, though, have other ideas.
While Atlanta won’t be able to pull off this upset, it should be able to hang around enough to cover the spread.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 105, Hawks 102
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