Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat Betting Odds

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Miami Heat (-9)
Game Total Line: (194)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

In case you haven't heard-if so, welcome back from your trip to Mars-LeBron James and the Heat (12-8, 7-13 ATS) are coming off a 118-90 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

While many fans and observers will debate if this will provide James some sort of catharsis or reverse-revenge, there's really something more important at hand-the Heat are finally regaining some momentum. They've won three consecutive games, including back-to-back wins against the spread. The covers are especially nice to see, since they followed up a 1-12 run ATS.

James was, in short, brilliant against the Cavaliers. He racked up 38 points, eight assists and five rebounds despite sitting out the fourth quarter. If there was a particularly painful reminder to the Cleveland faithful of what they've lost, it was James' 24-point explosion in the third quarter that effectively ended the game.

The Hawks (13-7), meanwhile, have also righted the ship. They won their fifth straight game last night against Philadelphia..

Atlanta has played well at both ends of the floor over the last week or so, but there's still plenty of room for doom and gloom. Namely, the absence of Joe Johnson. The star guard is set to miss the next four-to-six weeks after getting surgery on his elbow. A "loose body" had to be removed from the four-time All-Star's elbow.

Johnson leads Atlanta in scoring and assists but, in the Hawks' first game without him, things could have been worse. Atlanta topped Memphis 112-109 while the team dished out a season-high 33 assists.

Certainly, the injury increases pressure on Jamal Crawford. Last year's Sixth Man of the Year has struggled so far this season, and he'll be counted on to pick up much of the slack.

Miami has won six of its last 10 games against Atlanta, both straight up and against the spread. That includes three straight wins. The total went over last time they played, but under in the previous two match ups. Bodog has set the total for Saturday's game at 194 points.

Benson ATS Prediction
Take the over 194 at Betus.