(8) Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat (7)
The Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat have both left much to be desired this season. I don’t think any envisioned they’d have to be playing their way into the NBA Playoffs before the season, but it’s been that inconsistent of a year for both teams. Nevertheless, these two teams will square off to tip off the NBA Play-In Tournament with the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference on the line.
During the regular season series, the Heat has gotten the best of the Hawks. In fact, for the past couple of seasons, the Heat has been a team that Atlanta has had real difficulty with. Dating back to last year’s NBA Playoffs, the Heat has beaten the Hawks in seven of their last nine meetings.
Neither team is battling any notable injuries at the moment so they should be relatively healthy and have all hands on deck when they meet to open the Play-In Tournament. Just based on a head-to-head standpoint, I’d give the slight edge to the Heat.
Jimmy Butler is playing at an unreal level and at least for one game, you can expect the best out of him. Jimmy and the Heat get the job done to clinch the 7th seed in the East.
Prediction: Heat