Playoff Preview – Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks

NBA Tuesday Night Preview

NBA betting fans get an early playoff preview on Tuesday night when the Miami Heat take on the Atlanta Hawks.

The Heat clinched fifth place in the Eastern Conference and the Hawks had already locked up fourth place last week, which lines up a first-round playoff matchup. Miami rolled past New York on Sunday 122-105 as a 6.5-point favorite on the NBA odds behind a career night from Dwyane Wade. Wade netted a career-high 55 points and Michael Beasley tied a career high with 28 points and 16 rebounds.

The Hawks have had three days off since getting past Indiana 122-118 as a 5.5-point favorite on Friday night. Josh Smith led the Hawks with 30 points and 10 rebounds, and Joe Johnson poured in 24 points. Al Horford also had a strong game with 22 points and 15 rebounds.

The Heat and Hawks have already met up three times this season with Atlanta leading the season series 2-1. In their last matchup on February 27 the Hawks defeated the Heat 91-83 as a 5.5-point home favorite. Johnson led Atlanta with 24 points and Horford had a monster game with 21 points and 22 rebounds. Beasley scored 23 points to lead Miami, while Wade had 21 points and 10 assists.

Bettors may also get a first-round preview in the Western Conference on Tuesday night when the Utah Jazz visit the Los Angeles Lakers. After a recent slump the Jazz entered the week in eighth place in the West, which would earn them a first-round date with the Lakers if that’s where they finished the season.

The Jazz face the Clippers on Monday night having lost three straight and six of their last seven games. Utah suffered a huge upset on Saturday night when they lost to short-handed Golden State 118-108 as a 14.5-point favorite. Deron Williams had 26 points and 14 assists for Utah and Carlos Boozer had 25 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with a surprising 38 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists from the Warriors’ C.J. Watson.

The Lakers lit up Memphis on Sunday in a 92-75 win as an 11.5-point favorite. Andrew Bynum is quickly shaking off the rust with 18 points in his second game back from injury, and Kobe Bryant added 16 points and seven rebounds.

The Jazz and Lakers have met up twice so far this season with each picking up a win at home. They last faced off in February in Utah when the Jazz won 113-109 as a 1-point favorite. Williams led Utah with 31 points and 11 assists on an impressive 12-of-17 shooting, while Bryant scored a game-high 37 points for the Lakers.