The Atlanta Hawks look to make if four wins in a row when they take on the Indiana Pacers on the road. With NBA betting markets in full swing, we examine the matchup in search of value bets.
Thursday, May 06, 2021 – 08:00 PM EDT at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
The Atlanta Hawks are flying high behind a three-game winning streak into Thursday’s pivotal Eastern Conference showdown with the season winding down in a hurry. The Hawks are coming off a commanding 135-103 win over the Phoenix Suns at home, wrapping a three-game homestand that includes wins over Chicago and Portland too.
As things currently stack up in the Eastern Conference, following Wednesday’s win over the Suns, the Hawks improve to a 37-30 mark on the season. This puts them firmly into fifth place and half-a-game back of the NY Knicks and 8.5 games back of the leaders Philadelphia 76ers.
The Hawks got contributions from across the bench in what was billed a tough contest with the Suns. Indeed, the Suns closed on the NBA odds board as the nominal 1-point road chalk only to fail spectacularly in the betting. Heck, the Suns barely whiffed at the point spread when all was said and done as the Hawks pulled 32-points ahead behind a late-game surge.
Clint Capela led the team with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Bogdan Bogdanovic, Trae Young, Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams each provided 16 points Devin Booker led the team with 30 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists. Onyeka Okongwu added 14 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists while Kevin Huenter added 13 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
Speaking of point spread betting, the Hawks are amongst the top teams in the league against the spread with a 37-29-1 mark and a 1.7 winning margin (sixth best overall). However, it’s worth pointing out the fact that this overall run of form is largely underpinned by their stellar home form that includes a 21-11 SU mark with a 5.3 winning margin and the league’s second-best 21-11-0 ATS mark.
The Indiana Pacers are a subpar 30-35 on the season and mired in a tight battle in the race for a playoff spot down the stretch. So, it’s fair to say, Wednesday’s 104-103 loss to Sacramento at home, their second loss in as many games, didn’t help their cause. Indeed, recent form is nothing to write home about as Indiana strikes a less than convincing pose behind a 4-6 SU mark.
Domantas Sabonis led the team with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists while Caris LeVert contributed 14 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds. T.J. McConnell, Kelan Martin and Doug McDermott were the other three players to only crack double-digits as each added 11 points.
It’s been a frustrating stretch for the Pacers of late and they’re in danger of letting all their good work this season to go to the wayside. A couple of days ago, the Pacers were utterly decimated by the Wizards in a 154-141 loss.
As things currently stand, they’re just on the fringe of the playoff frame but with the Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls still technically in the race there’s everything to play for. In short, this isn’t the time to drop the ball.
Overall, the Pacers have been a bit of a sports betting nightmare at home this season. They’re the second-worst team with an 11-20 SU record that includes and even worse 8-23-0 ATS mark and 3.2 losing margin on average. On the season in general, they’re the third worst team with 26-39-0 ATS mark.
This marks the third meeting between the Hawks and Pacers this season after splitting the previous two games in Atlanta. As well, this is the first time this pair collides in Indianapolis. One would think home advantage might give the Pacers some kind of edge but in fact they’re the second worst home team in the league as mentioned above.
Now that the pressure is well and truly on, it’s hard to have any confidence in the Pacers to buck the betting trends at the expense of the Hawks. Seeing as they’ve failed at the time of asking repeatedly down the stretch, they’re a bit of a longshot NBA pick – perhaps, even, longer than the odds would suggest. Clearly, they aren’t handling expectations well. As such, back the Hawks to win and cover here.
NBA Pick: Hawks -5.5 (-108) at Heritage Sports