Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks 1/2/21: NBA Basketball free preview, analysis, prediction, odds and pick against the spread.
2021-01-02 19:30:00 EDT
The Cleveland Cavaliers invade the State Farm Arena to battle the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
The Cleveland Cavaliers started their season with three straight wins, but they’re now hoping to avoid a third straight loss after getting routed by the Pacers in a 119-99 road loss on Thursday. Collin Sexton led the team with 28 points on 12 of 19 shooting, Daris Garland added 21 points with five assists while Andre Drummond racked up 11 points with 13 rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Cavaliers shot 45 percent from the field and 12 of 23 from the 3-point line, but a slow start had them trailing by double-digits early and they keep shooting themselves in the foot with 19 turnovers.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks have been in great shape to start the season as they’ve won four of their first five games and they will be looking to stay hot after blowing past the Nets in a 114-96 road win last night. De’Andre Hunter led the team with 23 points on nine of 10 shooting, Trae Young added 21 points with seven assists while John Collins chipped in with 20 points on nine of 14 shooting. As a team, the Hawks shot 46 percent from the field and 16 of 39 from the 3-point line, but this win was about their defense as they held the Nets to just 40 percent shooting by keeping a lid on Kyrie Irving who shot just six of 21 from the field.
Looking at the betting trends, the Cavaliers are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as an underdog, 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games and 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games against a team above .600. The Hawks are 0-3-1 ATS in their last four home games, 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games playing on zero days rest and 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a winning record.
Head to head, the over is 23-8 in the last 31 meetings overall, the Cavaliers are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Atlanta and the Cavaliers are 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings overall.
The Cavaliers have cooled off after a quick start to the season and they will be low on confidence after getting blown out by the shorthanded Pacers on Thursday. The Hawks have been one of the surprise teams of the league and they looked great in last night’s win over the Nets. The Hawks have looked impressive so far and I’m sure they can stay hot with a win at home, but they are just 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games playing on zero days rest. With that being said, I’m taking the Cavaliers with the points in what could be a scrappy one.
