The fans at Philips Arena will be treated to a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks when they take their seats on Wednesday.
Cleveland At Atlanta
When: 8:30 PM ET, Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT
PREDICTION: Cavaliers 108, Hawks 99
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Oddsmakers currently have the Hawks listed as 1½-point favorites versus the Cavaliers, while the game’s total is sitting at 197.
In their last action, Atlanta was a 94-91 winner on the road against the Wizards. They covered the +2.5-point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (185) was profitable news for UNDER bettors.
Last time out for Cleveland, they were a 94-73 winner as they battled the Bulls on the road. The Cavaliers covered in the match as a +2-point underdog, while 167 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.
Irving’s injuries will be closely watched by Cleveland coach David Blatt, who is aware that Irving reiterated that he doesn’t want to miss any playoff games. Irving has made some progress in recent days but is still nowhere near top form as the knee injury also requires rest that he isn’t afforded with at this time. “I think that’s the biggest thing I get out of it. I don’t want to be on the sideline at all, especially preparing for a big stage like this,” Irving told reporters. “I want to be as close to 100 percent before Wednesday as I can be, so just doing the necessary things in order to do that.”
Team record: 61-31 SU,45-47 ATS
Current Streak: won 3 straight games.
Cleveland is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Cleveland is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cleveland’s last 9 games
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Starting point guard Jeff Teague overcame a sluggish beginning to the series against Washington to average 20 points over the final three games while speedy backup Dennis Schroder excels at pushing the tempo. Schroder had back-to-back double-digit outings against the Wizards but then ended the series with back-to-back 3-of-12 shooting outings and coach Mike Budenholzer will look for ways to have Teague and Schroder on the court at the same time. “When those two guys play together, it gives you a second player that’s very comfortable, very accustomed, to being in pick-and-rolls with the ball in their hands – trying to get in the paint, attacking the basket and collapsing the defense,” Budenholzer told reporters.
Team record: 68-26 SU,54-39-1 ATS
Current Streak: won 3 straight games.
Atlanta is 5-9-1 ATS in its last 15 games
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Atlanta is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games at home
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