Miami Heat vs. Atlanta Hawks Preview

On Friday, April 18, the Miami Heat (37-45) and Atlanta Hawks (40-42) will square off at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The Miami Heat are coming off a big 109-90 win over the Chicago Bulls. The Heat were dominant in that game from start to finish. They entered halftime with a 24-point lead.

The Bulls were able to cut in closer in the third, but ultimately, could not close the gap.

The Heat were led by Tyler Herro, who scored 38 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Prior to last night's win, the Heat were 0-3 against the Bulls this season.

Now they are set to face off against an Atlanta Hawks team that was embarrassed in Orlando by the Magic.

The Hawkswere beaten by 25 points. They failed to score 100 points, and Trae Young was ejected late in the fourth quarter.

The Heat are currently 17-23 on the road with a point differential of 1, while the Hawks have a 7-3 record in their last ten games at home.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

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Game details & how to watch Heat vs. Hawks live today

• Date: Friday, April 18, 2025
• Time: 7:00PM EST
• Site: State Farm Arena
• City: Atlanta, GA
• Network/Streaming: TNT

Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.

Game odds for Heat vs. Hawks

The latest odds as of Friday:

• Odds: Heat (-105), Hawks (-114)
• Spread:  Hawks -1
• Over/Under: 218 points

That gives the Heat an implied team point total of 108.74, and the Hawks 109.27.

Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!

Expert picks & predictions for Friday’s Heat vs. Hawks game

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) is betting on Trae Young over 11.5 assists (+134)...

Thomas: "Initially, the over 10.5 line caught my eye. However, when shopping, I found a lot of value in the 11.5 at +134 versus the 10.5 at -135.

In the first play-in game, Trae Young was in attack mode. Knowing he's had success against the Magic, the Magic are paying extra attention to the other players on the perimeter. The Magic's perimeter defense is certainly their weakness.

There should be a stark difference between the game plan of the Magic and that of the Miami Heat.

Coach Erik Spoelstra will likely do what he does in high-leverage situations. He strategizes the defensive looks to eliminate the biggest threat. If you take away the offensive firepower that Young has, this Hawks team drops a few notches.

We will see Trae the facilitator in this one."

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Heat & Hawks game:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Miami Heat on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Miami Heat at +1.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 218.

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!

Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Heat vs. Hawks on Friday

• The Heat have won 5 of their last 6 games on the road
• The Over is 10-7 in the Hawks' divisional matchups this season
• The Heat have covered the Spread in 5 of their last 5 games as an underdog

The Heat have won 4 of their last 5 at Eastern Conference teams

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Bet the Edge is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick’s insight weekdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)

- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)

- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)

- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)