Filip Tomic
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Finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference has given the Miami Heat an opportunity to face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 is live on TNT from 1:00 pm ET, and I have prepared a same-game parlay to make things a bit more interesting.
We also have predictions on the side and total for the 4 other NBA Playoffs games today, so make sure you check them out.
First let’s dive into the Hawks vs Heat game!
Bam Adebayo over 20.5 points (-106)
Tyler Herro 3+ made threes (-106)
Trae Young over 27.5 points (-112)
Jimmy Butler over 6.5 rebounds (-114)
Parlay odds: +1239
Bam Adebayo over 20.5 points (-106)
Atlanta will be playing without their center, Clint Capela, and that is great news for Bam Adebayo — who has been feasting against the Hawks during the regular season. In 2 meetings against them he averaged 22.5 points per game and shot the ball extremely efficiently at 55.6% from the field and 88% from the free-throw line. He’s also been in fine form to finish off the regular season, averaging 19.2 points over his last 9 games and shooting almost 62% from the field. He went over 20.5 points in back-to-back games against Charlotte and Atlanta, playing 33 and 31 minutes. Expect his minutes to go up in the playoffs, and hopefully that will reflect well on his production in Game 1. He was recently placed in health and safety protocols, however he was cleared a couple of days ago and should be at 100% coming into tonight’s game.
Be sure to check out our Game 1 full game preview for Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat
Tyler Herro 3+ made threes (-106)
Tyler Herro has the potential to be the x-factor for the Heat in this series. He finished 2nd in scoring on the team, averaging 20.7 points per game despite coming off the bench. In his last 2 games against Atlanta he’s shooting the 3-ball at 50% and with the Hawks ranking only 24th in the NBA in opponent 3-point percentage, allowing 36.3% of shots to be made, I like his chances of scoring at least 3 treys. Miami has so many options on offense; if it decides to go on the inside with Adebayo that should collapse the Hawks defense and allow Herro a ton of space on the perimeter. Don’t be shocked if he drains at least 3.
Sunday’s NBA Mega Parlay is also available (+1309 odds!)
Trae Young over 27.5 points (-112)
Capela not playing takes away a couple of assists in this game for Trae Young, as they are a deadly combination on the alley-oop at least once or twice every game. Instead, Young will have to focus more on scoring to keep his team in this game. He did an incredible job in the play-in tournament game against Cleveland, carrying the Hawks to a road victory with 38 points. Against Miami in 4 meetings during the regular season he averaged 25.5 points per game, which is solid, but the Hawks will need much more to have a chance today. He’s gone over 27.5 points in the last 2 meetings and in the game played in Miami 9 days ago he dropped a cool 35, with just 3 made threes from 11 attempts. If he can limit his turnovers, he is capable of easily going over 27.5.
We also have a same game parlay for Nets vs Celtics (+1994 odds!)
Jimmy Butler over 6.5 rebounds (-114)
Jimmy Butler does it all for this Miami Heat team. He is 1st in scoring, 2nd in rebounding, 2nd in assists, 1st in steals and 4th in blocks while having the best PER (player efficiency rating). That just shows you how much he means to them and how he can hurt his opponents in so many ways. However, this year’s Miami team is different from all those teams he was on in the past. With Kyle Lowry manning the point guard position, Butler can play off the ball a lot more and focus on other things that are needed for his team to win. Rebounding will be one of those things in tonight’s game as the Hawks rank 8th in the NBA in boards per game, averaging 50.8. That number is down to 46.7 per game in their last 3 outings though and with Capela not playing, there’s a solid chance for Butler to get a few on the offensive end as well. He has finished with 7 boards once in his last 3 games, but his production should go up significantly in the postseason.
Now check out our NBA first basket predictions for Sunday (+8700 odds!)
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