Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks – Who Wants it More?

Hawks Look To Record Consecutive Wins, Take Series Lead Over Heat

The Miami Heat (45-41 SU, 42-42-2 ATS, 46-39-1 O/U) and Atlanta Hawks (49-37 SU, 45-40-1 ATS, 39-45-2 O/U) will each be looking to take a 3-2 series lead when they battle tonight at Philips Arena tonight at 8 PM ET in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.

The Hawks evened the series at two games apiece by beating the Heat 81-71 in Game 4 as veteran point guard Mike Bibby scored a team-high 15 points to lead six Hawks players in double figure scoring. 

Atlanta cashed as 4.5-point road underdogs thanks in large part to the play of reserve center Zaza Pachulia who scored 12 points and added a whopping 18 rebounds in Game 4.

Dwyane Wade scored a team-high 22 points while dishing out seven assists and grabbing six rebounds for the Heat while the final score played Under the 186-point O/U total in the BetOnline Sportsbook.

Here is a look at tonight’s key trends, followed by my in-depth analysis and NBA Free Picks.

• The Heat are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 Wednesday games.
• The Heat are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a S.U. loss.
• The Hawks are 11-4-1 ATS in their last 16 games following a ATS win.
• The Hawks are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
• The Under is 7-1 in the last 8 meetings.
• The Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Atlanta.
• The Heat are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Atlanta.
• The Heat are 23-10 ATS in the last 33 meetings.

NBA Odds:

• Miami Heat +6 -110
• Atlanta Hawks -6 -110
• Over 179 -110
• Under 179 -110

Analysis: Every game in this series has been decided by at least 10 points but the Hawks have yet to record consecutive wins over a Heat team that has played surprisingly spirited basketball in this series.

While the Hawks have been very disappointing at times during both, the regular season – and in this series – I like them to improve their 4-6 ATS record against the Heat over their last 10 meetings by winning and recording another emphatic home victory in front of their boisterous fans.

Besides, I am wondering what kind of rock Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has in his head for playing rookie forward Michael Beasley so sparingly in this series – and during the regular season, despite Beasley’s terrific ability to put the ball in the hole.

Miami’s lack of offensive weapons surrounding Dwyane Wade should be apparent again tonight.

While the Under has played out for BetOnline NBA sports betting members in three of the four games in this series, I like the Over 179 total points tonight.

NBA Free Picks: Atlanta hawks -6 Points/Over 179 Total Points