NBA Play-In Tournament Betting Preview: Hornets vs. Hawks Betting Picks

The NBA Playoffs are about to begin, but first, we have a play-in tournament to get through to determine the final playoff spots.

The Atlanta Hawks find themselves competing for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference a season after making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Charlotte Hornets, on the other hand, are hoping to get to the playoffs after enjoying breakout seasons from several of their young players.

We should be in for an exciting NBA game! 

Betting Odds & Lines

betJACK has the point spread of this game at Hawks -5.5. We also have the over/under at 235.5.

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Hawks Outlook

The Hawks obviously go wherever Trae Young takes them, as Young continues to prove that he is going to be an absolute force to be reckoned with for years to come.

Young, in a lot of ways, is like Steph Curry, as he can pull up from anywhere on the court at any given time and keep defenses honest as soon as he crosses the halfcourt line.

Once “Ice Trae” finds that little bit of space he needs, he’s going to let it fly, and the result, a significant amount of time, will lead to a made 3-pointer.

John Collins will be sorely missed for the Hawks in this one, as he has established himself as an efficient scorer on this team as a mid-range shooter.

Clint Capela should wreak havoc inside the paint on both ends of the floor with his ability to put home dunks and block shots.

Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter, and Danilo Gallinari should also continue to space the floor for this team, which will become useful with all the gravity Young attracts.

Hornets Outlook

LaMelo Ball is coming into his own as one of the best young point guards in this league, as he has the ability to shoot the three and set up his teammates for some great looks.

Terry Rozier has developed himself into a very reliable weapon for this team, as he has the ability to get open off the ball for great 3-point looks and create his own offense with the ball in his hands.

Miles Bridges has emerged as one of the best young forwards this league has to offer, as he averaged over 20 points on nearly 50 percent shooting to go along with 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in 80 games played.

The Hornets are a fast-paced team, so if you don’t match their energy, they will come out and beat you.

Hawks Win

This is easily the closest play-in game we’re getting this season, as both teams finished the season with the same exact record.

Both teams also have a lot of young talent they can build around for years to come.

However, the Hawks have the continuity of getting all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, whereas the Hornets don’t.

With that being said, expect the Hawks to win and cover the spread.