Hawks looking to stave off elimination

Published on Friday, 5/3/13, at 12:26 p.m. Eastern.

By Brian Edwards

**Pacers at Hawks**

–The home team has won all five games in this series both straight up and against the spread. Indiana (52-34 SU, 45-41 ATS) took a 3-2 series lead by spanking Atlanta 106-83 as a 7.5-point home favorite Wednesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The 189 combined points slithered ‘over’ the 187.5-point total.

–Indiana power forward David West scored a game-high 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field in Game 5. Paul George produced 21 points (7-8 FGs), 10 rebounds and five assists, while Roy Hibbert added 18 points and nine boards. The Pacers dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Hawks 51-28.

–Atlanta (46-41 SU, 39-46-2 ATS) shot just 33.3 percent from the floor in the Game 5 defeat. Al Horford and Josh Smith tied for team-high scoring honors with 14 points apiece. Just like in Game 2 at Indiana, Smith was in foul trouble early and often in Game 5, finishing with just 25 minutes of playing time.

–For tonight’s Game 6 at Philips Arena, most spots have the Hawks favored by two with a total of 188. The Pacers are +105 on the money line. Atlanta is a one-point ‘chalk’ and the total is 94 for first-half bets.

–Smith scored a postseason career-high 29 points in leading Atlanta to a 102-91 win as a 1.5-point home favorite in Game 4. The loss was the 13th straight for Indiana in Atlanta. The Pacers haven’t tasted a victory at Philips since 2006.

–The ‘over’ has cashed at a lucrative 4-1 clip in this series to date. In nine head-to-head meetings this year, the ‘over’ owns a 7-2 record.

–The ‘over’ is 46-40-1 overall for the Hawks this year, 23-20 in their home games.

–The ‘under’ is 43-42-1 overall for the Pacers, 23-19 in their road contests.

–Sportsbook.ag’s updated series price is Indiana -800 (risk $800 to win $100) with Atlanta available for a monster +600 return (risk $100 to win $600).

–ESPN2 will have the telecast at 7:05 p.m. Eastern.

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

–Sportsbook.ag has the Miami Heat as the -300 favorite to win the NBA title.

–Brooklyn forced a Game 7 in its best-of-seven series with Chicago thanks to Thursday’s 95-92 win over the Bulls in a pick ‘em affair. The 187 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 184-point total. The Bulls were playing short-handed in Game 6 with Luol Deng (illness), Kirk Hinrich (calf) and Derrick Rose (knee) out of the lineup.

–Game 7 will be at Barclays Center on Saturday night at 8:05 p.m. Eastern. Most books are listing the Nets as 6.5-point home favorites with a total of 183. The Bulls are +250 on the money line (risk $100 to win $250).

–Golden St. advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with Thursday’s 92-88 win over Denver as a 2.5-point home ‘chalk.’ The Warriors hooked up their backers for the series as +400 underdogs. They got an inspiring performance from veteran center Andrew Bogut in the close-out game. Bogut finished with 14 points, 21 rebounds and four blocked shots. Steph Curry scored 22 points and passed out eight helpers, while Draymond Green came off the bench to provide 16 points and 10 boards.

–Golden St. has lost 29 consecutive games at San Antonio. The Warriors haven’t won on the road against the Spurs since Valentine’s Day of 1997.

–Most books are listing San Antonio as an 8.5-point home favorite for Monday’s Game 1 vs. Golden St. The total opened at 201.

–Sportsbook.ag has odds for the next team Dwight Howard will play for and the Lakers are -300 ‘chalk.’ These teams have the following odds: Rockets (+250), Mavs (+350), Field (+350), Hawks (10/1) and the Nets (15/1).

–Chad Millman, ESPN The Magazine’s editor-in-chief and the host of the Behind the Bets podcast, recently sat down with Forbes Magazine for an interview about sports gambling and more. Check out the interview here.

–My NBA picks are 8-1 over the last three nights and have cashed at a 16-4 clip since April 25. For the season, I have a 105-73 record (59%, +25.66 units). I have five picks pending for tonight’s four-game card.

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