Final Score Picks and Predictions for Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat Tonight

Are the Hawks going to be able to snap their losing streak tonight against Miami?

Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) reacts after scoring a basket against the Miami Heat during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

After getting Christmas Day off, the Hawks are back in action tonight with plenty to prove against a Heat team that's directly above them in the standings. Both teams are currently on losing streaks - Atlanta has lost four straight and eight of its last 10 while the Heat have lost three straight and eight of their last 10. Therefore, this is going to be an inflection point for one of these two teams.

For the Hawks, this may be their best chance to get a win in some time. After this game, they'll take on the Knicks, Thunder, Timberwolves and Knicks again. That's four straight games against teams that are currently in possession of a playoff spot and have been demonstrably better than the Hawks thus far. Calling this game a must-win is an exaggeration, but it would certainly be a good time for one before the schedule gets more difficult. Losing two straight against the Bulls certainly doesn't suggest that they'll be going into any of those matchups favored to win.

Deeper Look at the Numbers

Dec 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) and forward Haywood Highsmith (24) defend the basket against Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci (27) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Atlanta's offense has been frustrating at times, but they're largely solid on that end. They are 12th in points, 7th in FG%, 5th in 3P%, 16th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (27th in OREB, 22nd in DREB), 1st in assists, and 18th in turnovers per game. They're 12th in offensive rating this year.

Conversely, Atlanta's defense has a lot of work to do. The Hawks' defense ranks 24th in points allowed, 23rd in FG% allowed, 18th in 3P% allowed, 24th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 12th in blocks. They're 18th in defensive rating on the year.

Miami's had a reputation as being a solid two-way team and they've continued to live up to that reputation. They're 9th in points, 14th in FG%, 7th in 3P%, 16th in FT%, 7th in rebounds (21st in OREB, 2nd in DREB), 7th in assists, and 7th in turnovers per game. They're 18th in offensive rating this year.

Still, it'd be a stretch to say they're a bad defensive team. The Heat are 20th in points allowed, 4th in FG% allowed, 6th in 3P% allowed, 29th in rebounds allowed, 10th in steals, and 18th in blocks. They're 7th in defensive rating on the year. Even though they aren't flashy, the Heat's fundamentals are usually very solid and their stagnation to the play-in range has to do with the fact that their roster lacks a true No. 1 scoring option.

Both teams are admittedly playing very poorly right now, but I do think the Hawks will be able to snap the streak tonight. Miami might be without their two best players and the emergence of Jalen Johnson presents a new wrinkle that the Heat have never needed to truly gameplan for. Furthermore, this could be a big Nickeil Alexander-Walker game because the Heat might struggle to find a good cover for him off the bench. I'm interested to see how these two frontcourts match up with each other, but I think Atlanta has a decent chance at getting the better of Ware due to potentially having Mo Gueye avaliable for this one.

Final Score: Hawks 122, Heat 117