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Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction NBA Picks 12/28/24
Pick details
Atlanta Hawks (16-15) vs Miami Heat (15-13)
December 28, 2024 at 03:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Atlanta Hawks -2.5 — Over/Under: 225.5
The Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks duke it out at the State Farm Arena on Saturday night. Here’s a Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction. This article will include a Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks Pick.
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Miami HeatÂ
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The Miami Heat have been in pretty good form as they’ve won six of their last nine games overall and they will be aiming for a third straight victory after sneaking past the Magic in a thrilling 89-88 road win on Thursday. Tyler Herro led the team with 20 points, Alec Burks added 17 points off the bench while Jaime Jacquez Jr chipped in with 15 points and five steals. As a team, the Heat shot just 40 percent from the field and 15 of 30 from the 3-point line as they got off to a terrible start and scored just 19 points in the second quarter to trail by as many as 17 points, before they rallied in the fourth quarter and stole the game on a clutch shot from Tyler Herro with just 0.1 seconds left on the clock.Â
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Atlanta HawksÂ
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Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks look to have moved on from their three-game skid as they are now aiming for a third straight victory after taking down the Bulls in a 141-133 home win on Thursday. Jalen Johnson led the team with 30 points, 15 rebounds and four assists, Trae Young added 27 points with 13 assists while De’Andre Hunter chipped in with 25 points off the bench. As a team, the Hawks shot 51 percent from the field and 17 of 45 from the 3-point line as they struggled to match the Bulls and leaked 44 points in the third quarter to trail by 21 points, before they exploded for 50 points in the fourth quarter to make it look easy in the end.Â
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Why the Miami Heat will win
- The Hawks have lost seven of their last eight home games against opponents who are on the first leg of a back-to-back.
- The Heat have won eight of their last nine games against Hawks teams that held a winning record.
- The Hawks have failed to cover the spread in each of their last 10 Saturday games against Eastern Conference opponents that held a winning record.
- The Heat have covered the spread in seven of their last eight games against Southeast Division opponents after winning as underdogs.
Total Points Facts
- Each of the Hawks’ last seven games at State Farm Arena following a home win have gone OVER the total points line.
- Twenty of the Heat’s last 25 games as road underdogs against opponents who are on the first leg of a back-to-back have gone UNDER the total points line.
Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction
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The Heat are still without Jimmy Butler and Josh Richardson, while the Hawks are keeping eyes on Bogdan Bogdanovic and Trae Young who are both questionable. This is definitely a game where you want to check the lineups before tipoff given the injury cloud hanging over both teams, but looking at recent form, I give the slight edge to the Heat who are really starting to show signs of improvement despite the injuries. The line is short for this one, so it’s tempting to take the Hawks at home, but I think the Heat have been playing the better basketball over the last week, so that’s where I am leaning.
