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The Miami Heat will host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night in the Play-In game that will determine the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Heat are the favorites given the odds but the Hawks are playing better since the coaching change.
These odds from William Hill were correct at the time of writing.
Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks – Game Predictions
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Both the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks expected to make it to the Playoffs avoiding the Play-In tournament but they will have to do it the hard way. Whoever gets through will have a tough task facing the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Prediction 1: Miami Heat to Cover the Spread (-5)
The Miami Heat finished the regular season three wins ahead of the Atlanta Hawks. The majority of this roster was there when the Heat made the NBA Finals just 3 years ago. This means that the players on the team have the experience of playing big games and Eric Spoelstra has already won the championship. The Hawks have had many ups and downs during the season and Quinn Snyder took over the head coaching job just a couple of months ago.
Going into this game, 4 of the Hawks’ 5 starters are listed as day-to-day which makes things even more difficult for the visiting team. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are hyped up and ready to take the Heat to the Playoffs and a rematch of the last year’s Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Prediction 2: Jimmy Butler Over 27.5 Points
Jimmy Butler has promised that the Heat will go back to the NBA Finals this season and he is facing the first challenge on that road tonight. Butler is the leading scorer on the Heat averaging 23.9 points per game which ranks him 22nd in the league. The total point margin is set way higher on him for tonight’s game but that will not be a problem for him.
Butler is a true leader and knows when he needs to step up. He will have a demanding task on the defensive end guarding Trae Young at some point of the game but more importantly, he will provide the scoring for the Heat and lead them to the win by going over 27.5 points.
Heat vs Hawks Preview – Who Gets to Meet the Celtics?
The Miami Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks 4-1 in the opening playoff round last season and now the teams are facing each other again, this time fighting for a playoff berth.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a team built for the Playoffs but first they will need to go past the Atlanta Hawks to get there. They finished in 7th place in the Eastern Conference with a 44-38 record, only one win shy of the last spot that led straight to the Playoffs. The only inactive player on the Heat roster is rookie Nikola Jovic which means that the Heat will be on top of their game tonight.
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks finished 8th in the East with a 41-41 record. They lost the last two games of the regular season which is not a problem compared to the injury report going into this game. Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, John Collins, Clint Capela, and Bogdan Bogdanovic are all listed as day-to-day and the absence of any of these players may take its toll on the team’s performance.
Heat vs Hawks Head to Head Record In 2023
The Heat won the 2022-23 regular season series 3-1 against the Hawks. They played back-to-back games just a month ago and the Heat won them both pretty easily. Last season, these two met in the opening playoff round with the Heat getting the job done in 5 games.
Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks Game Details
- Date & Time: Tuesday, April 11, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Kaseya Center — Miami, Florida
- Where to watch in the UK: TNT on TV or fuboTV on a live stream
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