Hawks vs. Cavs Picks & Predictions 11/21/22

Atlanta Hawks (10-6 SU, 7-9-0 ATS) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-6 SU, 9-6-1 ATS)

When: Monday, November 21st, 7:00 PM (ET)

Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, OH, Cleveland

TV: BSOH

Point Spread: ATL +2.5/ CLE -2.5 (Did you know that you could be betting on games at -105 odds instead of -110? Imagine how much money you’d be saving! BET SMART! Bet at -105 at BAS!)

Total: 224.5

Money Line: Atlanta Hawks +116/ -139

Notable Injuries

Hawks

• Bogdan Bogdanovic (Out) Knee

Cavaliers

• Kevin Love (Out) Thumb
• Ricky Rubio (Out) Knee
• Dylan Windler (Out) Ankle
• Dean Wade (Out) Knee

Recent Form

So far, the Hawks have put together an overall record of 10-6, while going 7-9-0 vs the spread. In the team’s past 3 games, their overall mark sits at 2-1. Atlanta is 1-2 vs the spread in these matchups.

The Hawks are coming off a 124-122 win over the Raptors. Although they came away with a straight up win, it was not enough to cover the spread as they entered as 5 point favorites. Atlanta pulled out the win despite trailing by 7 going into halftime. The team did not put a dent in this deficit in the 3rd quarter but put together a strong comeback effort in the 4th. Leading the team in scoring was Trae Young, as he contributed 33 points while hitting 57.1% of his shots.

So far, the Cavaliers have put together an overall record of 10-6, while going 9-6-1 vs the spread. In today’s game, Cleveland will look to extend their 2 game winning streak. Over this stretch, they have an average scoring margin of 18.0 points.

In their previous game, the Cavaliers took down the Heat by a score of 113-87. Not only did they come away with a straight up win, but they also covered the spread as 7 point favorites. Cleveland played well enough in the second half to prevent the Heat from making things interesting down the stretch, as they led by 17 going into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was Darius Garland, as he contributed 25 points while hitting 58.3% of his shots.

The Historicals

In last year’s regular season games with the Cavaliers as the home team, Cleveland and Atlanta played to a split. However, the Hawks won the overall season series 3-1. Similar to their season-long average, the Hawks averaged 117.75 points per game vs the Cavaliers. Just like the Hawks, the Cavaliers maintained their usual level of scoring in head-to-head matchups, averaging 110.5 points per game vs Atlanta. Over the last 5 head to head meetings, the Hawks have averaged 115 points per game compared to 108 for Cleveland. This has led to an ATS record of 4-1 for Atlanta. In these contests, they averaged a combined 223 points per game, leading to an over-under mark of 3-2.

Analysis

Heading into play, the Hawks offense is rated 9th in the league in scoring, averaging 9th points per contest. Coming into today’s game, the Hawks will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 9.1 made 3’s per game. Although Atlanta has struggled with their outside shot, they have done a good job taking care of the ball, averaging just 12.3 turnovers per game.

Defensively, Atlanta has had its problems giving up an average of 112.38 points per game (21st).

This season, the Hawks offense has primarily worked through Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 15 games, Young is 11th in the NBA at 27.33 points per game. So far, him and Murray have accounted for 43% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 48.39 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Dejounte Murray is grabbing 6.25 rebounds for Atlanta to go along with 7.38 assists.

Coming into today’s action, Cleveland is averaging 115.7 points per contest. This figure places them 8th in the league. The Cavaliers come into the game as one of the league’s better 3-point shooting teams, connecting at a rate of 12.7 made 3’s per game. One area that the Cleveland offense will continue to rely on is their ability to get to the free-throw line. So far, they are the 8th ranked unit in made free-throw per game.

On the defensive end of the floor, the Cavaliers are giving up an average of 105.67 points per game, good for 5th in the NBA.

On offense, Donovan Mitchell leads the Cavaliers in scoring at 29.86 points per game, placing him 7th in the NBA. Overall, Mitchell has hit 49.7% of his shots while accounting for 24.1% of the team’s looks from the field. In today’s game, he will be working against a defensive unit that is 3rd in points allowed to shooting guards. At 15.5 points per game, Evan Mobley is the 2nd leading scorer for the Cavaliers. For the season, he is 123rd in the league in player efficiency rating while posting an overall field goal percentage of 56.9%.

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Betting Trends

• Hawks are 10-21 ATS in their last 31 road games.
• Hawks are 7-20 ATS in their last 27 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
• Cavaliers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
• Cavaliers are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 home games.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

The Hawks chemistry is starting to gel as evidenced by the team winning six of their last nine games. The Cavs are going to be good, but have lost five of their last seven contests. The Hawks have a good shot of winning straight up, so I’m happy to take Atlanta as a +2.5 underdog. Bet your NBA pick for FREE this week by scoring a 100% bonus (or more!) using one of our sportsbook promo codes!