NBA Playoff Betting Preview Game 5 Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks

Published on April 29, 2009 by admin · No Comments

With the series tied at 2 games a piece the Miami Heat are in Atlanta to take on the Hawks in a critical game 5 in their best of 7 NBA Eastern Conference playoff. Atlanta rallied from a 2-1 deficit on Sunday to take game 4 81-71 as a 5 point road underdog. Tip off time is set for 8PM Eastern Time Wednesday with TNT providing the television coverage. LVSC has sent off the opening numbers and the home team Atlanta Hawks are 5 ½ point favorites with the over under lined at 182. There has been early money coming in on the underdog Heat, as Atlanta is currently a 5-½ point favorite. The total has see downward movement as it’s currently lined at 180.

The concern in game 5 for the Heat will be the health of guard Dwayne Wade. Wade was experiencing back spasms in game 4 and it affected his performance on the court as he was only 9-26 from the field including a 1-8 performance from the three point line. Wade was reported to take medication for his back and has been receiving back treatments from the Miami medical staff. Wade missed practice on Tuesday and the leading scorer in the NBA will be evaluated on Wednesday and up until game time. Wade vowed to the media that he would be ready to play for Game 5. In the Hawks game 4 victory they allowed the Heat to only shoot 37% from the field. The Hawks also were effective on the boards out rebounding the Heat 40-33 on Monday. Jermaine O’Neal had another good game for the Heat with 20 points on 7-11 shooting and continues to step up his play during the post season. A major concern for the Heat in game 5 is the play of their bench as they contributed with only 2 points during game 4 compared to the Hawks 27 off of their bench.

Trend: The Under is 7-1 in their 8 meetings this season

The Wagerline consensus has 54.2% of the bettors on Atlanta –5 1/2

The Wagerline consensus has 59% of the bettors playing over 180