Miami vs Atlanta: Hawks will try to improve

Miami won Game 1 of the playoffs against Atlanta by a wide margin, and now the Heat simply have to double their lead. Will the Hawks be able to solve their problems and do something against the #1 ranked club in the East in the regular season? 

The Heat, even under the constraints of a tight salary cap, have assembled a capable squad with decent depth. Miami have long been renowned for their ability to find talent among undrafted players, and it stacked its backline in this fashion. With Max Strus and Gabe Vincent out, the Heat can afford to keep Victor Oladipo on the bench. The main thing is to keep everyone healthy, and that's exactly what the team is having trouble with. Right now, Bam Adebayo, P.J. Tucker, DeWayne Dedmon, and Markieff Morris are questionable, and even Vincent, though much less likely, might not make the court.

The recent win over Atlanta was Miami's 7th in their last 8 games. Erik Spoelstra's men played outstanding defense and came out on top, 115-91. The Heat had some problems on offense at first, but their offense as a whole was effective. Duncan Robinson made a number of tough shots and hit 8 three-pointers in 23 minutes on the court. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo were not as evident as they should have been, while Kyle Lowry was more active in the paint with 10 points and 9 assists.

The Hawks made the playoffs with great difficulty, winning 2 games in a row as the Hawks took turns against Charlotte and Cleveland. In the first round of the playoffs, the No. 9 team in the East is unlikely to play with an optimal lineup due to Clint Capela's injury. As a result, Atlanta may have trouble not only defending but also making pick-n-rolls. It's possible that John Collins, who returned to the lineup the day before, hasn't healed up and won't get much playing time in Game 1 of the postseason. In addition to Capela, Lou Williams is in the infirmary and Bogdan Bogdanovic has a minor injury that is unlikely to prevent him from playing.

In the regular season, Nate McMillan's men played very fast basketball and Trae Young led the offense, but things fell apart against Miami's defense. Young was rarely allowed to drive to the basket and ended up hitting 7 of his 12 shots from beyond the arc. Bogdanovic never made a shot on the shot clock and Danilo Gallinari was ineffective. The Hawks coach tried to do something and urged his men to move the ball more, but their combination play just wasn't working out. The loss to Miami was only Atlanta's third in their last 10 games.

In Game 1, it was noticeable that Miami are one of the best in the league in terms of defense at the arc. Nevertheless, the Hawks are bound to improve, as 1 of 21 from the game combined from Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic - what could be worse? Health problems for Heat players could result in the home team coming out sub-optimally. Nevertheless, even Miami are capable of playing better offensively and scoring around 115-120 points. In 3 of the 4 previous meetings, the teams have reached the announced total, so expect a better result now. I would like to wager on the following outcomes:

• Total Over 218.5 points for 1.84;
• Miami Handicap (-7.5) for 1.90;
• Kevin Huerter: Total Over 11.5 points for 1.86.

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