NBA Play-In Tournament Betting Preview: Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers/Prop Picks

After easily defeating the Charlotte Hornets, the Atlanta Hawks head out to face the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Hawks offense was on full display against Charlotte, but now they face a much better defense. Taking down the Cavaliers won’t be an easy task, but Trae Young and the Hawks are up to the challenge. Can Atlanta walk away with another victory on Friday night?

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Brooklyn Nets in their first play-in game. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering who they were facing. However, this game against the Hawks is a much better matchup for the Cavaliers. Sure, Atlanta’s offense is one of the best in the NBA, but they don’t have Kevin Durant. Let’s look at both teams and pick who wins this one.

Atlanta Hawks: Atlanta is Pulling Together at the Right Time

Trae Young in a post-game interview said that the Hawks “are clicking at the right time”. This is definitely true after their huge 132-103 win over the Hornets. In this game, they’ll test their offense against one of the best defenses in the NBA. To get past Cleveland’s defense, Atlanta needs another big performance from Trae Young. One he’ll likely be able to give them again.

The Hawks will still be without John Collins, which could hurt them on the interior. However, their defense performed incredibly well against Charlotte, who has one of the highest-rated offenses. Though defense is important, the Hawks will likely try to overwhelm the Cavaliers with their sixth-best scoring offense. On average, the Atlanta Hawks score 113.9 points per game.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Cleveland Desperately Needs a Spark

After their loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the Cavaliers need to rally quickly. Unfortunately for them, they’re facing another high-powered offense. The biggest problem for the Cavaliers is they don’t have an offense to compete with these teams. Ranking 25th in the NBA, the Cavaliers average just 107.08 points per game. With such a low-scoring offense, they’ll have trouble keeping up.

The first step for the Cavaliers in this game is stopping Trae Young. If they can limit Young’s impact, they can find a way to win this game. Young put up 24 points and 11 assists against the Hornets' defense. The Cavaliers rank fifth in the NBA in points allowed, giving up an average of 105.7 per game. However, their defense has taken a massive step back in recent games.

Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Pick

After looking at each of these teams, one team stands out the most, the Atlanta Hawks. Their performance against the Hornets leads us to take them in this game. They come into Friday’s game as two-point favorites, a small margin to cover. This season, the Hawks are 3-1 against the Cavaliers, take Atlanta on Friday.

In terms of the total, we’d recommend taking the over. This is because of the Atlanta Hawks’ offense, as the Cavaliers won’t contribute much. The total is set at 225, so it shouldn’t be too much to overcome on Friday.

Dunkel Index Free Pick: Atlanta Hawks -2, OVER

Prop Picks

Atlanta (-110) OVER 112.5 Points

Atlanta is averaging 113.9 points per game on offense, which ranks No. 6 in the league, while shooting 37.4 percent from 3-pt range, which ranks No. 2. Scores have gone OVER in 15 of the Hawks’ last 20 road games versus Cleveland.

With Dunkel predicting an Atlanta road victory by the score of 119-114, take the Hawks (-110) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 112.5 points against the Cavaliers.

Trae Young (-120) OVER 29.5 Points

Young is averaging 28.4 points per game, which ranks No. 1 on the Hawks and No. 6 in the league. That average increases to 29.4 points per game in his last 10 games overall and 32.5 points per game in four contests versus Cleveland this year.

With Dunkel predicting a Hawks victory with the point total going OVER the Vegas line, take Young (-120) to finish OVER his Vegas total of 29.5 points against the Cavaliers.

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