Miami Heat vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 09/04/2023, 22:28  by Joseph King | Modified on 09/04/2023 at 23:28 in NBA Predictions

The first matchup in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament is set with the seventh-seed Miami Heat taking on the eighth-seed Atlanta Hawks at the Kaseya Center in South Beach. The winner of this game will secure the seventh-seed and a matchup with the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. The loser will have to play the winner of the 10th vs 9th seed play-in game to decide who claims eighth place and a matchup with the top-seeded Bucks. Miami ended the season with six wins from their final 10 games, capping things off with a 123-110 win over Orlando on the final day. The Heat finished six games above .500 but were ultimately unable to catch the sixth-place Nets and avoid the play-in tournament, falling short by just a single game. Erik Spoelstra’s men will come into this one confident of securing a win given Miami’s 27-14 record this season in front of the home fans.

The Hawks did not experience a good end to the regular season as they lost their last two contests. Atlanta were a bit unlucky with the scheduling as they had to face off against two of the East’s best teams in their final two games. The first resulted in a 136-131 overtime home loss to the 76ers, which was followed by a 120-114 away loss to the Celtics. The Hawks almost lost their hold on the eighth seed but edged out the ninth-place Raptors thanks to superior head-to-head results. Both Atlanta and Toronto finished with the same 41-41 record but the Hawks won two of the three regular season contests between the two teams. Atlanta will try to get back to winning ways here but they have struggled on the road this season. The Hawks see their winning percentage drop to 41% as the visiting team compared to a solid 59% at home.