Game Time: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, April 22nd, 2022 

Venue:    State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

Where to Watch: ESPN

DraftKings:  Spread: Heat -1.5; O/U 221.5

Fanduel:  Spread:  Heat -1.5; O/U 222

BetMGM:  Spread: Heat -1.5; O/U 221.5

Heat: 2-0 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference first round.  #1 Seed.

Hawks: 0-2 NBA Playoff Eastern Conference first round. #8 Seed

An Eastern Conference matchup that looks like a cakewalk for the Miami Heat… but we are going back to the Atlanta Hawks home court… Will that make a difference?  Does home court advantage help a team like the Hawks to finally beat the spread in this series?  The Heat aren’t just 2-0 in the series, they are also 2-0 ATS!... and for the NBA Playoffs -6.5, then -8 are BIG SPREADS.  Vegas thought that Atlanta would be more of a contest.  The Heat have beaten the Hawks 115-91 the first time and 115-105 the second time.  The Parlay of Heat to win ATS AND the Under would have paid off twice in a row.  Noone is under the misapprehension that the Hawks will suddenly win the series…. But as they shift into games in Atlanta… Maybe the hawks could beat the spread twice?

The Miami Heat have all the answers for the Atlanta Hawks.  It seems simple.. The Heat are a great defensive team… while the Hawks are defensively inept.  The Heat have something extra though… a strong, smart leader.  In Game 2 SF Jimmy Butler went off for 45 points… that line included an 11 of 12 night at the free throw line.  Jimmy Butler does not shy away from contact, he thrives on it.  C Bam Adebayo and PG Kyle Lowry were nearly invisible on offense in Game 2 as they both pulled in just 9 points each…. But on defense Bam and Kyle excelled.  That is the Heat’s game plan… “we will stop you, while our shooters keep scoring”.  Guards Max Strus, Tyler Herro, and Gabe Vincent combined for 40 points from the SAME POSITION.  They combined for 7 made 3-pointers and 7 made free throws.  That is the game plan.  The Hawks have no answer.

The Atlanta Hawks have lost two Playoff games in a row.  In the NBA Playoffs that is the recipe for desperation.  If they don’t get Game 3 they will definitely lose the series. Desperation on the Hawks means more launching of deep 3’s!  PG Trae Young had a sad 8 points in Game 1 and a nice, but ineffective 25 points in Game 2.  The problem with the Hawks at the moment is of course that PF John Collins is rusty from injury and C Clint Capela is out with injury.  Those are starting big men… One slow, one missing. The Hawks weren’t good on defense with those guys at full strength… and now they are worse.  The Hawks will get a boost being at home.  PG Trae Young, PF Danilo Gallinari, SG Kevin Huerter may all see the basket grow with home court vision and the crowd sitting on their shoulders… but they won’t be able to stop whichever aHeat player goes off.  They just are not defensively able at the moment.

Ben Burns is 8-3 the last 7 days in NBA action.  That is all Playoff basketball winning!  Team Del Genio is 6-1 in the last 7 days of NBA action.  That is also all Playoff basketball Winning!  You should be winning too! Get Ben Burns’ picks!  Get Team Del Genio’s picks!  Stay with us all throughout the NBA Playoffs and let’s grow that bankroll! You can discover the best  picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB, college football… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

The Heat are 55-29 on the season, but 48-35-1 ATS.  They have logged 49 Overs and 35 Unders.  They are 24-17 in road games.

The Hawks are 45-41 on the season, but 37-47 ATS.  They have notched 43 Overs, 41 Unders.  They are 28-14 in home games

The Heat are 17th in scoring with 110.0 ppg, 22nd in rebounds with 43.7 per game, and 19th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8.  On defense they rank 4th while holding opponents to 105.6… They have held the Hawks to worse than that, two games in a row.

The Hawks are 6th in scoring with 113.9 ppg, 20th in rebounds with 44 per game, and 4th in AST/TO ratio with 2.1.  On defense they rank 21st while allowing 112.4 ppg. from opponents. 

Our prediction for Friday, April 22nd 1is….. Heat 114 - Hawks 110

Wow!  The points spread shrank!  The Hawks lost 2 in a row outright and ATS!  Even if home court advantage gave the hawks an extra 10 point spread… they would not cover this spread.  Take the free $$$!  Vegas is desperate to give you money!  The Bet is Heat to win… The O/U should be avoided because this is a top defense versus a top offense… the result could be anywhere.  Just bet the Heat to win and you will be good.

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Miami is 64-41 ATS versus Atlanta since 1996.

Miami is 9-3 ATS the last 3 seasons.

3 of 5 games in this series have gone Under the last 3 seasons.

Miami: No injuries to report.

Atlanta: C Clint Capela (knee) Out ** SG Lou Williams (back) Out

Miami: PF PJ Tucker, SF Jimmy Butler, C Bam Adebayo, PG Kyle Lowry, SG Max Strus

Atlanta: PF Danilo Gallinari, SF De’Andre Hunter, C John Collins, SG Kevin Huerter, PG Trae Young

Statistical Leaders

Heat: Erik Spoelstra

Hawks: Nate McMillan