Hawks vs Heat Game 2 Picks and Predictions: Atlanta Regains Confidence In High-Scoring Affair

The Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat face off in Game 2 of their first first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.

The No. 1 seed Heat cruised to a 115-91 victory in Game 1 and NBA betting lines opened with them as 7.5-point home favorites for the second contest in this best-of-seven series. 

Here are our best free NBA betting picks and predictions for Hawks vs. Heat on April 19, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Hawks vs Heat odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

This line hit the board with Miami installed as a 7.5-point favorite with the Over/Under at 217.5.

The line shortened to Heat -7 in the morning but by the afternoon had bounced back to -7.5 with some books setting the number at -8. Early money came in on the Over, shifting the total to 219. 

The Heat easily covered as 6.5-point home favorites in Game 1 and the game went four points Under the closing total of 220. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Hawks vs Heat predictions

• Prediction: Hawks +8 (-110)
• Prediction: Over 219 (-110)
• Best bet: Hawks TT Over 105.5 (-115)

Predictions made on 4/19/2022 at 12:03 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Hawks vs Heat game info

• Location: FTX Arena, Miami, FL
• Date: Tuesday, April 19, 2022
• Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT

Hawks vs Heat series odds

Hawks: +500
Heat: -750

Hawks vs Heat betting preview

Key injuries

Hawks: Bogdan Bogdanovic SG (Probable), Clint Capela C (Out), Lou Williams SG (Out).
Heat: Bam Adebayo C (Questionable), P.J. Tucker F (Questionable), Gabe Vincent G (Probable), Markieff Morris PF (Questionable), Dewayne Dedmon C (Questionable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Hawks are 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a straight-up loss. Find more NBA betting trends for Hawks vs. Heat.

Hawks vs Heat picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Spread analysis

The Heat came out looking every bit like the top seed in the East as they clobbered the No. 8 seed Hawks by 24 points on Sunday. Miami was the superior team on both ends of the court, shooting 52% from the floor (including a sizzling 18-for-38 from beyond the arc) while holding its opponent to 39% shooting. 

Atlanta actually made 12 more shots from the charity stripe and still couldn't make a dent in a massive Miami lead. Trae Young had a performance to forget, going 1 of 12 from the field and 0 of 7 from 3-point range while turning the ball over six times before riding the pine in the fourth quarter. 

Interestingly enough that 115-91 scoreline was identical to the beatdown the Heat put on the Hawks back on January 6. However, the other three games between these teams during the regular season were much closer with Atlanta edging the Heat once and Miami winning the other contests by six and four points. 

The Hawks will be missing center Clint Capela again but the Heat have power forward P.J. Tucker and center Bam Adebayo listed as questionable. However, Adebayo has said that he will play despite a quad injury which is great news for Miami after he averaged 19.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game during the regular season while playing lockdown defense. 

Even if Adebayo suits up we like the Hawks to at least keep things close in Game 2. 

Young is simply too talented to shut down in back-to-back contests and even if he doesn't come close to matching his regular-season averages of 28.4 points and 9.7 assists per game, he should still be much more productive than he was on Sunday. 

Although the Hawks are weak on defense there should still be a bit of regression from Miami's red-hot shooting from deep in Game 1 and with Atlanta filled with dead-eye shooters of its own, we'll take it with the points.

Prediction: Hawks +8 (-110 at bet365)

Over/Under analysis

This total hit the board at 217.5 and has ticked up to 219 but we could see it hitting 220 by tipoff. The Heat are very tough defensively but they've also been giving significant minutes to sharp-shooters like Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, and Max Strus. 

Although that helps with spacing it will also put multiple minus defenders on the floor against an Atlanta team filled with perimeter scoring options like Young, Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter, and Deandre Hunter. 

The Hawks might have gone ice-cold from the field in Game 1 but this is a team that finished the regular season with the second-highest offensive rating in the league.

That said, they also ranked just 26th in defensive rating, and missing their best interior defender in Capela will hurt. We're taking the Over. 

Prediction: Over 219 (-110 at William Hill)

Best bet

Given our first two predictions, you may have guessed our favorite pick for this game: That's right it's the Over on the Hawks team total.

As good as the Heat are defensively, they did become a bit less efficient in that area towards the end of the season. They allowed 108.5 ppg on 46% shooting after the All-Star break as opposed to the 104.4 ppg on 44.2% shooting they limited foes to before that season mark.

Now they could be missing a tough defender in Tucker and Adebayo might be less than 100% against a Hawks team that averaged 114.9 ppg with Young in the lineup this season. 

Keep in mind that in the previous three meetings between these teams during the regular season Atlanta scored 118, 110, and 109 points. Not amazing but all higher than its team total of 105.5 tonight.

Pick: Hawks team total Over 105.5 (-115 at FanDuel)

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