After a 2-0 start the Hawks have lost three straight and come in on the second night of a back-to-back looking for their first home win of the early season. Atlanta lost consecutive games to Houston, now 5-0, and last night at home against Miami. The Heat controlled most of the game and picked up their first win after an 0-4 start.
Both teams tipped last night at 7pm ET in their own cities. Cleveland travels south to Atlanta, and Thursday is its fifth game in eight nights. The Cavs trailed by 13 points early in the third quarter before coming back to win and cover the -9.5 game spread. That came two nights after Monday's comeback from 15 down against Minnesota, where every starter but Jarrett Allen played 37 to 39 minutes. James Harden took a team-high 18 shot attempts and made just five.
Through the first week of the season, Atlanta's offense has not been the problem. The Hawks are scoring 120 a game, and Jalen Johnson is averaging just shy of a triple double, 19.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 10 assists. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has scored 31 and 23 in two of the five, and Aaron Wiggins is averaging three triples a game off the bench. Cleveland's defense has allowed an average of 117.8 points a game. The Hawks team total over is another way to play this market.
Last season these teams split their four-game regular season series, with the home team winning all four. Cleveland was a 52-win team and one of the best road teams in the league last year, and that is evident in this game's price. The moneyline is near a coin-flip for the slightly fresher team in its own building, looking for its first win at home. Atlanta's short losing streak is being factored too heavily into the opening odds. I like the Hawks at close to even money.
Cavaliers vs Hawks prediction: Hawks ML (-108) available at time of publishing. Playable to -118.
