- What: NBA Play-In Game
- When: April 18, 2025
- Who: Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks
- Time: 4:00 p.m. PST
- Where: State Farm Arena (Atlanta, GA)
The Miami Heat, currently in 10th place, will face the 8th-place Atlanta Hawks on Friday for the coveted No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The matchup at State Farm Arena will tip off at 4 p.m. PST. The victor will move on to the round of 16, where they’ll challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers, the top seed in the East.
The regular-season series is tied 2-2.
Miami recently secured a convincing 109-90 victory against the Chicago Bulls in the 9/10 Play-In game on Wednesday, covering the spread as a 2-point underdog and hitting the Under (220).
Tyler Herro led the charge with an impressive 38 points on 13-of-19 shooting (68%). The Heat also forced 18 turnovers while limiting Chicago’s bench to 13 points.
In contrast, Atlanta suffered a heavy defeat, losing 120-95 to the Orlando Magic in the 7/8 Play-In opener on Tuesday. They failed to cover the spread as a 6-point underdog, with the Under (220.5) hitting as well.
The Hawks struggled early, falling behind 32-17 in the first quarter, but attempted to stage a comeback before being outscored 41-22 in the final period.
They managed only 38.1% shooting from the field (32-for-81), including a dismal 4-for-21 from three-point range (19.0%).
Throughout the regular season, both teams protected their home court during the 2-2 series split. While favored, the Heat recorded wins of 131-109 on February 26 and 122-112 on March 27.
Meanwhile, the Hawks notched victories of 120-110 as underdogs on December 28 and 98-86 as favorites on February 24. The Over hit in 3 of their 4 matchups, with February 24 being the only Under.
When considering the odds for the Heat at Hawks, it’s important to note that the Hawks are at home, and star player Trae Young is a standout on both teams.
Each team plays a distinctly different style; I tend to favor the squad with the superior offense and the more effective playmaker, which in this case is the Hawks with Young, over a team like the Heat that often relies on strong defensive stretches.
I anticipate the Hawks will win and eliminate the Heat in this one.
Best Bet: Hawks Money Line at +100 odds
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
