The weakest team in the Eastern Conference, Atlanta Hawks, is traveling to Cleveland to face the conference champions, Cleveland Cavaliers, in search for the second win of the season. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Hawks at Cavaliers
Spread: Cleveland Cavaliers -12.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 219.5 (-110)
The Hawks are desperate to end the losing streak
The Atlanta Hawks lost eight consecutive games, and that’s currently the worst streak in the NBA this season, and now are facing a difficult task to beat the Eastern Conference champs in Cleveland. It is going to be hard to beat the Cavs, but Cleveland is not in a particularly good form, so the visitors will have slight chance to defeat a favored Cleveland.
The Hawks suffered the most recent home loss 104:119 to the Houston Rockets mostly because of a poor display in the first half, scoring 51 points in opposite to Houston’s 69. Although they played way better after the interval, the Hawks couldn’t come close, and the Rockets secured a big win. Atlanta had a decent 48.1% from the field and hit 11 threes, but recorded just 16 assists, while Houston recorded 28, and 18 turnovers proved to be crucial for a heavy defeat. Kent Bazemore led the Hawks with 18 points, four rebounds, and two steals, Dennis Schroder added 16 points and four dishes, while Taurean Prince contributed with 16 points. Isaiah Taylor scored a career-high 12 points off the bench, with five assists, while Luke Babbitt with 12, and Tyler Dorsey with ten also had a role in the offense. Marco Belinelli failed to score in 17 minutes on the floor, shooting 0-5 from the field, but he will undoubtedly bounce back on this one. The Italian is an important part of the offense and is the sixth man, so when he doesn’t score points, the Hawks are usually in lots of trouble. Schroder is the best player on the roster with 21.7 points per game, and he is a player to watch in a matchup with Derrick Rose, who is not entirely healthy so that the German point guard could have a big game on Sunday. Prince is another player to watch in a tough matchup with LeBron James, and it will be interesting to see whether he can contain LeBron, as I believe Prince will concentrate on defending the King, while his offensive contribution might suffer as a result.
Mike Budenholzer cannot count on Ersan Ilyasova who is out with a bruised knee and will miss up to two weeks. DeAndre’ Bembry is also sidelined for a couple of weeks due to a right wrist setback, while the center Miles Plumlee (strained right quad) could be back in the next few days. Malcolm Delaney skipped the clash with Houston after suffering an ankle injury, and he is a game-time decision against the Cavs. The Hawks are scoring 101.11 points per contest on average (24th in the NBA), while they are allowing 110.11 points in return (24th in the NBA). Atlanta has the best free-throw percentage in the league (83.24%), while they are allowing just 73.66% of free-throws to the opponents (3rd in the NBA).
Place: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Date/Time: Sunday, November 5th, 2017, 3 PM ET
TV Coverage: FSOHIO, FOX SPORTS SOUTHEAST, NBATV CANADA
The Cavs are hoping for second straight win
The Cleveland Cavaliers ended a four-game losing streak after defeating the Washington Wizards in a 130-122 shootout on the road. The current Eastern Conference champs are just 4-5 early in the season as they suffered disappointing losses to Brooklyn, New York, and Indiana, the teams that are predicted to finish in the bottom half in the East. However, the Cavs bounced back at hot turf in Washington and are huge favorites to beat the Hawks on Sunday.
The Cavaliers had fantastic 56.1% from the field, and excellent 44.4% from beyond the arc (12-27), but missing only two free-throws (26-28) played a crucial part in a victory, while the Wizards missed even ten shots from the line. Washington was better in both rebounds and assists, but Cleveland recorded 11 steals in opposite to the Wizards five. LeBron James tied the franchise record with phenomenal 57 points (23-34 FG, 2-4 3PT, 9-9), 11 boards, seven dimes, game-high three steals, and game-high two blocks. James exploded and carried his team on his back after a poor run of results, and this was his 11th 50-plus game in his career. I don’t think he will score 50+ against Atlanta, but LeBron will likely lead the Cavs in points once again. Derrick Rose scored a season-high 20 points, Jae Crowder added season-high 17 points, seven boards, and a pair of thefts, while Kevin Love contributed with season-low 11 points and eight rebounds as the Wizards played great defense on him. Love will continue to serve as a center in Tristan Thompson’s absence, so I expect him to torture the weak Atlanta’s frontcourt on this one, so he is a player to watch for the hosts, alongside LeBron, of course. Thompson’s injury will mean more playing time for Crowder, so the former Boston Celtic has a good chance to make his mark in the coming weeks.
TyronnLue will be without Thompson for the next 3-4 weeks as the center sustained a left calf strain in a loss to Indiana, while Iman Shumpert could be back after missing the previous three matches with a right knee soreness. The Cavs are scoring 107.78 points per contest on average (9th in the NBA), while they are allowing 113.00 points in return, making them one of the worst defenses in the league (29th). They are the fifth in the NBA when it comes to field goal percentage (47.64%), and are allowing 42.11 rebounds per game to their opponents (7th in the NBA).
Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers Trends & Prediction
The Hawks are 2-6-1 against the spread (1-4-1 away), while they are 4-4-1 on over/under (2-3-1 away), and although they won two straight over the Cavs, I don’t think Atlanta will come close on Sunday, so playing on spread against them could be a smart move.
The Cavaliers are 2-7 against the spread (0-5 home), while they are 5-4 on over/under (2-3 home), and it’s about time for the team to destroy someone at Quicken Loans Arena. I believe this match will be the one as there are no weaker teams than Atlanta in the East, so anything but a big win for the hosts would be a surprise.
My Pick: Cleveland -12.5 (-110)
Total: Over 219.5 (-110)
