The NBA Play-In Tournament comes to a close on Friday with a do-or-die battle in Atlanta. The Heat, led by Bam Adebayo, will take on the Hawks. Miami is coming off of a commanding 109-90 win over the Bulls in Wednesday’s #9 vs. #10 game. Whoever wins will face the top-seeded Cavaliers, while the loser will have their season come to an end.
The Heat enter tonight’s contest as one-point favorites, with the over/under set at 221 points. Here’s the best Bam Adebayo prop bet on DraftKings Sportsbook before Friday’s game tips off.
Bam Adebayo U 29.5 points + rebounds (-120)
Following Jimmy Butler’s midseason trade to the Warriors, Adebayo has stepped up for the Heat. Since February 5th, the big man is averaging 20.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 50.5% from the field. Against Chicago on Wednesday, he dropped 15 points and 12 rebounds en route to a blowout Miami win.
On paper, a date with the Hawks should be no trouble for an elite center such as Adebayo. Opponents have scored 118.8 points per game vs. Atlanta, fifth-most in the NBA. The Hawks will also be without two of their best defenders tonight, Jalen Johnson (shoulder) and Clint Capela (hand).
Sounds like a big performance is inevitable for Bam, right? Not so fast. For whatever reason, the Hawks have done a phenomenal job at slowing down the three-time All-Star. Over his last five meetings with Atlanta, Adebayo has posted just 14.6 points and 8.2 rebounds. Those numbers aren’t due to a light workload, as the 27-year-old has logged 38.8 minutes during those outings.
Expecting less than 14 points from Miami’s best player is asking for a lot. Still, the Heat have other scoring options they can turn to if Adebayo finds himself double-teamed. Given the center’s history against the Hawks, this is shaping up to be a Friday night fade.
