Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks Betting Preview/Prop Picks

After a 112-120 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Cavaliers will look to bounce back. However, their defense will be tested as they host Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. With the end of the season quickly approaching, the Cavaliers need a big win.

They're ranked seventh in the Eastern Conference, and a loss could hurt them. So, how can they beat the Atlanta Hawks?

The Hawks rank among the best offenses in the NBA and will hope to use that here. Still, they find themselves facing one of the best defenses in the NBA, making it a tough test. With each of these teams needing to rise above the opposition, this game should be fun to watch.

What we're going to find out is which of these teams will be the better pick at the sportsbook tonight.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Will defense alone win them this game?

Perhaps the biggest problem with the Cavaliers is that they rely too much on defense. Sure, their defense allows an average of just 104.64 points per game, but is it enough?

They weren't able to do much against the Dallas Mavericks, who scored 120 points on them. They also took losses to the Bulls, Raptors, and Lakers recently. A slippery slope that cost them three games.

The biggest problem with the Cavaliers is their offense, which only averages 107.17 ppg. This offense ranks 24th in the NBA, nearly in the bottom five. With a lackluster offense, the Cavaliers have had trouble closing out games.

Even with a nearly impeccable defense, it's tough to win if your offense has trouble scoring. This is going to be a big problem as they face Atlanta tonight. 

Atlanta Hawks: This top-ranked offense has looked pretty good

The Atlanta Hawks have a string of wins over their belt, albeit not very impressive. They've gone 3-0 in their last three games, beating the Warriors, Pacers, and most recently, the Thunder. Each of those teams is dealing with either injury or just hasn't been good this season.

Still, a win is a win, and there's no arguing the Hawks' prowess on offense; however, is it enough to win?

As an offense, the Atlanta Hawks average 113.19 points per game, ranking seventh in the NBA. Leading them is Trae Young, who averages 28.1 points per game and 9.6 assists. Young will be matched up against Darius Garland, who was worked over by Luka Doncic.

Doncic had 35 points and 13 assists against Garland and Cleveland. We expect similar numbers from Young.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks Betting Prediction

Between these two teams, the Cavaliers seem better, especially from a record standpoint. However, when looking at recent games, you can see a notable change. The Cavaliers have gone 0-6 against the spread in their last six games.

In their last game against the Hawks, they lost 124-116; Cleveland was actually at home in that game. So, the better bet is the Hawks. 

Atlanta comes into this game as 5.5-point favorites, a little more than we'd like. However, they've gone 4-1 ATS in their last five games, so we trust them to cover.

Their offense is slightly too much for the Cavaliers to keep up with right now. We'd recommend the under here, as the total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last seven games against Cleveland.

DunkelIndex Free Pick: Atlanta Hawks -5.5, UNDER

Prop Picks

Cleveland (-110) UNDER 110.5

Cleveland is averaging 107.2 points per game on offense, which ranks No. 24 in the league. Scores have gone UNDER in 10 of the Cavaliers’ last 14 games when playing with 0 days rest (Cleveland played Dallas last night).

With Dunkel predicting an Atlanta victory by the score of 119-101, take the Cavaliers (-110) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 110.5 points against the Hawks.

Lauri Markkanen (+100) UNDER 14.5 Points

Markkanen is averaging 14.6 points in the season, which ranks No. 5 on the Cavaliers. That average drops to 14.0 points per game in Cleveland losses and 10.0 points per game in two games versus Atlanta this season.

With Dunkel predicting a Cleveland loss tonight, take Markkanen (+100) to be held UNDER 14.5 points against the Hawks.

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