3rd Quarter Report
Only one more quarter stands between the Hawks and the win they were favored to collect coming into this afternoon. Sitting on a score of 93-84, they have looked like the better team, but there’s still one more quarter to play.
The Hawks came into the matchup with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Miami Heat @ Atlanta Hawks
Current Records: Miami 15-13, Atlanta 16-15
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, December 28, 2024 at 3 p.m. ET
- Where: State Farm Arena — Atlanta, Georgia
- TV: NBATV
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $48.00
What to Know
The Miami Heat will wrap up 2024 with a road trip to face off against the Atlanta Hawks at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at State Farm Arena. The Heat pulled off an upset win in their last outing, and are hoping to pull that off once more against the 2.5-point favorite Hawks.
The Heat are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 208.5, but even that wound up being too high. They skirted by the Magic 89-88 on Thursday thanks to a clutch shot from Tyler Herro with less than a second left in the fourth quarter. The victory was all the more spectacular given Miami was down by 17 with 5:36 left in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask the Hawks). They came out on top against the Bulls by a score of 141-133 on Thursday. The win was all the more spectacular given Atlanta was down by 21 with 1:12 left in the third quarter.
The Hawks got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jalen Johnson out in front who dropped a double-double on 30 points and 15 rebounds. What’s more, Johnson also racked up five offensive rebounds, the most he’s had since back in October. Trae Young was another key player, dropping a double-double on 27 points and 13 assists.
The Hawks were working as a unit and finished the game with 32 assists (they’re ranked third in assists per game overall). That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now racked up at least 27 assists in four consecutive matches.
Miami’s win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 15-13. As for Atlanta, they now have a winning record of 16-15.
Not only did both teams in this Saturday’s game win their last matches, they also took care of their bettors and covered the spread. Looking ahead, the Hawks are expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. Neither team has fared well against the spread this season; they are 13-18, while Miami is 11-17.
The Heat didn’t have too much breathing room in their contest against the Hawks in their previous matchup back in April, but they still walked away with a 117-111 victory. Do the Heat have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hawks turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
Atlanta is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Miami, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Hawks as a 3-point favorite.
The over/under is 225.5 points.
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Series History
Miami has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Atlanta.
- Apr 09, 2024 – Miami 117 vs. Atlanta 111
- Jan 19, 2024 – Atlanta 109 vs. Miami 108
- Dec 22, 2023 – Miami 122 vs. Atlanta 113
- Nov 11, 2023 – Miami 117 vs. Atlanta 109
- Apr 11, 2023 – Atlanta 116 vs. Miami 105
- Mar 06, 2023 – Miami 130 vs. Atlanta 128
- Mar 04, 2023 – Miami 117 vs. Atlanta 109
- Jan 16, 2023 – Atlanta 121 vs. Miami 113
- Nov 27, 2022 – Miami 106 vs. Atlanta 98
- Apr 26, 2022 – Miami 97 vs. Atlanta 94
