Hawks vs Celtics: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups

After crushing the Charlotte Hornets by 41 points on Saturday night, the Atlanta Hawks are going to face a completely different challenge tonight against the team with the best record in the NBA, the Boston Celtics.

Boston comes into Atlanta for two games this week and the Celtics are riding a nine-game winning streak and have been crushing opponents as of late, which could spell bad news for a Hawks team that is missing seven players, including Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and Saddiq Bey. The Hawks have already dropped the first two games this season vs Boston and will be hard-pressed to win this one, even if it is at home.

This also could be a first-round playoff series if the Hawks were to win both play-in tournament games. Atlanta and Boston faced off last year and the Celtics won in six games.

So how can the Hawks match up against the Celtics?

Game Preview

Even if the Hawks were healthy, this would be one tough matchup. The Celtics are missing Jrue Holiday and Derrick White is questionable for tonight, but from an overall talent perspective, the Celtics outclass the Hawks by a wide margin. A lot of things are going to have to go the Hawks's way to win tonight, but there are some things Atlanta could do to make life difficult for the Celtics.

The first thing is to have another big game from Dejounte Murray. Murray scored 28 points in the win over Charlotte on Saturday night and has been having to carry the Hawks offense with Young out. Murray does not always have the most efficient games with Young out, but it is hard for the Hawks to beat good teams if Murray does not have a big scoring night.

What would help Murray is if the supporting cast also stepped up. Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter, Vit Krejci, and Clint Capela are all going to have to step up tonight. Capela has had a double-double in seven of his last night games and while Boston is not a bad rebounding team, they are not one of the league’s best either. Capela and Bruno Fernando will be manning the center position for Atlanta tonight and Fernando is coming off of his best game as a Hawk. He scored a career-high 25 points and he will be a key player for the Hawks off the bench tonight.

The Hawks come into this game 5th in PPG, 21st in field goal percentage, 7th in three-point attempts, 17th in three-point percentage, 1st in offensive rebounding, and 13th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 9th in points per 100 possessions, 18th in effective field goal percentage, 9th in turnover percentage, 5th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 9th in free throw rate.

The Celtics have an elite defense, but they could be down one of their top players tonight. Derrick White is questionable for tonight’s game and if he does not play, the Celtics will be without two elite defenders, as Jrue Holiday has already been ruled out. That would certainly make life easier for Murray, who would likely have to face White on the other side.

Boston is currently 6th in PPG allowed, 2nd in field goal percentage allowed, and 3rd in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Celtics are 3rd in points allowed per 100 possessions and 2nd in effective field goal percentage.

It is not just the defense that the Hawks should be worried about. Boston has one of the league's best offenses and a big reason for that is they are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA and they shoot the most threes in the NBA. Every player on the Celtics is dangerous as a shooter and it makes them very difficult to defend. Atlanta has been up and down defensively over the past 14 games and they are going to have their hands full tonight.

Boston is 2nd in the NBA in PPG, 9th in field goal percentage, 1st in three-point attempts, 22nd in free throw attempts, 13th in offensive rebounding, and 2nd in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Boston is 1st in points per 100 possessions, 1st in effective field goal percentage, 3rd in turnover percentage, 10th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 17th in free throw rate.

If you are going to criticize this Celtics team, it is that they don’t go to the rim and don’t draw fouls to get to the free-throw line. Their offense at the end of close games is also a question mark, but you have to get them there first. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis are all going to be tough matchups for the Hawks tonight.

Injury Report

Saddiq Bey (left knee torn ACL), Kobe Bufkin (left big toe sprain), AJ Griffin (right ankle sprain), Mouhamed Gueye (right UCL sprain), Jalen Johnson (right ankle sprain), Onyeka Okongwu (left big toe sprain), and Trae Young (left fifth finger torn ligament) are all out vs Boston.

Jrue Holiday is out for the Celtics and Derrick White is questionable.

Viewing and Betting information

Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast,

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be big underdogs at home tonight, as they are currently 12.5 point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 226.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Bogdan Bogdanovic

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Vit Krejci

F- De'Andre Hunter

C- Clint Capela

Celtics:

G- Derrick White

G- Jaylen Brown

F-Jayson Tatum

F- Al Horford

C-Kristaps Porzingis

Photo Credit: Winslow Townson/GettyImages