Friday night NBA and we will see the Cleveland Cavaliers travel to the Philips Arena to take on the Atlanta Hawks. The game has a start time of 7:30 pm (Eastern) and will be televised locally. Current Vegas betting odds have the Cavaliers listed as 1.5 point favorites, while the total is set at 203. 

Analysis: The Cleveland Cavaliers have been on fire since mid-January as they have gone 20-4 in their last 24 games. The Cavs are right there in the think of the Central Division race as they currently trail the Bulls by just a half game. The Cavs will be looking for some payback here after losing 109-101 back in December. The Cavaliers have gone 7-0 ATS in their last 7 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game, but just 4-10 ATS in their last 14 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Cavaliers have been a good offensive team this year, ranking 7th in scoring (102.84 ppg), 9th in shooting, 11th in 3 point shooting and 17th in FT shooting. Defensively the Cavaliers have been good this year, ranking 12th in points allowed (98.7 ppg), 20th in defensive FG% and 12th in 3 point defense. 

The Atlanta Hawks come in with the best record in the NBA at 48-12 overall, which includes a 28-4 record at home. The Hawks have a big lead in the South Division as they are 14.5 games up on Washington. The Hawks have gone 14-3 ATS in their last 17 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600, but just 10-29 ATS in their last 39 games playing on 2 days rest. The Hawks have been a good offensive team this year, ranking 8th in scoring (102.6 ppg), 3rd in shooting, 2nd in 3 point shooting and 4th in FT shooting. Defensively the Hawks have been excellent this year, ranking 2nd in points allowed (96.4 ppg), 5th in defensive FG% and 6th in 3 point defense. 

Pick: Im going to look at the Hawks to get the big win here. they have the best record in the NBA, but still all the talk seems to be about the Cavs winning the Eastern Division, and they may very well win it, but I feel that tonight the Hawks will say "Hey don't forget about us".  The Cavs are 6-13 ATS the last 19 in the series, while Atlanta is 14-3 ATS in their last 17 games vs an opponent that has a winning % above .600. I go with the home dog here, but be cautious i have not been great this year going against the Cavs. LOL 

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Handicapping Tips: NBA Betting
Bryan Leonard and Steve Fezzik, from Pregame.com discuss some handicapping tips for betting the NBA.