The Cavs control their own destiny but have some tough games remaining, including a road contest against the Atlanta Hawks this week. Atlanta has struggled of late but hopes to pick up a win that would help their playoff positioning and also send a blow to Cleveland.
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Odds Analysis
The Hawks are 39-38 straight up and 35-42 against the spread. Atlanta has played in 38 home games this season and only covered in 14 of them. The Hawks are 15-10 against the spread when playing as an underdog, which they figure to be in this matchup.
The Cavaliers are 51-27 straight up and 35-41-2 against the spread. Cleveland has played in 39 road games this season and covered in 16 of them. The Cavaliers are 31-32-2 against the spread as the favorite on the season.
Scheduling Situation
The Hawks have lost eight of their last ten games heading into this week, and it doesn’t get much easier with this last stretch of games. Atlanta faces Boston on April 6th before back-to-back games against Cleveland and also faces a hungry Pacers team.
Atlanta’s recent loss to the Nets, who are currently in last place in the Eastern Conference, was a blow. The team also fell the Bulls on April 1st, two games the team was no doubt hoping to win heading into this final push.
It won’t be an easy last couple of weeks for Atlanta, but will be a good warmup for the team heading into the playoffs if they are able to hold onto a spot. The trouble is, there are only 1.5 games separating the No. 6 Hawks from the ninth-seeded Pacers right now as Atlanta must continue to fight.
Key Stat
One. That’s how many games the first-place Cavaliers currently lead the Celtics by in the Eastern Conference standings. Cleveland reclaimed the lead after beating Boston 114-91 on the road on Wednesday.
With four games remaining for Cleveland, every single win matters. They are 1-1 against the Hawks, 1-2 against the Heat and 3-0 against the Raptors, the teams that make up their remaining competition.
Cleveland is riding a four-game winning streak that includes a 135-130 double-overtime win against the Pacers. It hasn’t been easy for the Cavs this season, but they control their own destiny with only a few games remaining.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Cavaliers have never quite put it all together this season, especially in recent weeks. While they picked up a much-needed win over Boston, Cleveland has been known to lose road games in which it has a superior record to the opponent.
That should continue in this one. Most will expect the Cavs to pick up another win to stretch their lead, but the Hawks are solid and get the comfort of home. Take Atlanta to pull off the upset in this one. It will be lucrative as the Hawks figure to be a solid bet on the moneyline.
While LeBron James is the best player on the court, the Hawks have a nice well-rounded group, and while it has struggled recently, there is too much talent for that to last forever. The oddsmakers won’t like Atlanta’s chances, but that will just help the win pay iff more handsomely.
NBA Odds: Hawks 103, Cavaliers 100
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