Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics: Game Preview, Injury Report, Starting Lineups for Tonight's Matchup

Can the Hawks avenge their recent loss to the Celtics in order to tie the season series and keep ground in the Eastern Conference?

Mar 27, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives against Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

After beating the Sacramento Kings, the Hawks have a chance to avenge a recent loss against a familiar Eastern Conference opponent. The Celtics were the Hawks' toughest test in the last few games and Atlanta wasn't able to take advantage of Jaylen Brown's absence. They allowed Boston to shoot 40% from deep and got crushed on the boards, 52-35.

Fortunately, they'll get a second crack at the Celtics tonight. Boston should have both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, so this will be a tougher matchup than Atlanta got last time. Even so, there's a good chance that the Hawks can win this game if they lean into their strengths. They held a 60-55 advantage heading into halftime, but let the game slip away in the third quarter.

If they can pull out a win tonight, they'll have put themselves in a good position to claim a top-six playoff spot left. There's under ten games left in the season and the Hawks are currently sitting at the No. 6 seed in the East. They'll have to play their best basketball of the season thus far if they want to hold onto it.

By the Numbers

Mar 27, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) is defended by Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

They didn't have an amazing night against the Celtics, but the Hawks showed that they're good enough on offense to beat most teams. The Hawks are 6th in points, 13th in FG%, 6th in 3P%, 18th in FT%, 18th in rebounds (21st in OREB, 14th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 11th in turnovers per game. They're 14th in offensive rating this year.

Despite getting torched by Pritchard, the Hawks had some positive stretches on defense against the Celtics. The Hawks are 17th in points allowed, 18th in FG% allowed, 17th in 3P% allowed, 24th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 18th in blocks. They're 11th in defensive rating this year.

The raw numbers may not show it, but the Celtics have been a productive offense throughout the season despite being without Jayson Tatum for most of the season. They are 21st in points, 21st in FG%, 11th in 3P%, 5th in FT%, 4th in rebounds (7th in OREB, 7th in DREB), 29th in assists, and 1st in turnovers per game. They're 2nd in offensive rating this year.

Their defensive cohesion is the key to their success and it's why the Hawks weren't able to get back into the game after Boston took the lead. They are 1st in points allowed, 2nd in FG% allowed, 16th in 3P% allowed, 6th in rebounds allowed, 28th in steals, and 11th in blocks. They're 4th in defensive rating this year.

Three Reasons The Hawks Can Win This Game

Mar 27, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Celtics are a great defense, but they aren't consistently great at stopping shooters off the bench. They are 21st in bench 3PT% allowed and it has lost them games fairly recently. A full-strength version of the Celtics lost to an inconsistent Timberwolves team without Anthony Edwards because Bones Hyland finished with 26 points on 14 shots and went 3-7 from deep. Nobody really stepped up on the Hawks' bench during their last game against the Celtics and there's reason to believe that can change if Zaccharie Risacher continues to come off the bench.

Even though they have one of the best passers in the NBA leading their team, the Hawks don't place the entirety of their playmaking responsibilities on Jalen Johnson's shoulders. They lead the NBA with an average of 30.3 assists per game because they are always looking for the extra pass and opportunities on drives. They did not pass the ball well against the Celtics, finishing with 23 assists as a team. Fortunately, that was not the case against the Kings. They finished with 34 assists and did an excellent job of keeping the ball moving around the court even in the absence of Dyson Daniels. Getting Daniels back should only help them reverse their anomalous struggles as a passing team.

Derrick White was ruled out of Saturday's game against Charlotte with a knee injury and if it lingers, that would be majorly important for their chances of winning tonight's game. White has been one of the most impactful players in the NBA - he's averaging 17.1 points a game while playing excellent defense. This season, the Celtics are nearly 9.1 points per 100 possessions better when he's on the court.

Three Reasons The Hawks Might Lose This Game

Mar 27, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Baylor Scheierman (55) guards Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Hawks' rebounding was a big problem during their last game against the Celtics. They got thrashed on the defensive boards by a 39-25 margin. Atlanta has to do a better job of ending possessions on defense by keeping the Celtics off the glass and out-hustling them. The possible absence of Derrick White might help in that regard, but this has to be a game where the startig lineup of Johnson, Daniels, NAW and Okongwu (assuming Daniels and Okongwu are healthy) crash the glass consistently.

While Payton Pritchard was the hero of the game for the Celtics during their last matchup with the Hawks, the dangerous aspect of this team is that they have multiple role players who are capable of stepping up and delivering a big performance. Any one of Luka Garza, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh or Hugo Gonzalez can give the Hawks a spark with their rebounding and shooting. Scheierman in particular is a player to watch for Atlanta because he can get hot from deep while also playing decent defense. He's shooting 38.6% on 2.9 attempts from deep for the season, but since the All-Star Break, he's upped his volume to 4.7 attempts a game while shooting 37.6% from deep.

Jalen Johnson's defense has been better in the second half of the season, but he's got a tough matchup ahead of him tonight in Jayson Tatum. Tatum hasn't looked entirely like himself since returning, but he was able to shake off the rust against a good Hornets team and lead Boston with 32 points, eight assists and five rebounds on 5-10 shooting from deep. Johnson will have to be incredibly focused on the cutters behind him, get into passing lanes in order to force turnovers and fight over screens in order to keep up with the versatile superstar.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks - They are on a back-to-back and won't release their report until later in the day.

Boston Celtics - Derrick White and Jaylen Brown are questionable while Nikola Vucevic is out.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

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

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - CJ McCollum

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Celtics

G - Payton Pritchard

G - Derrick White

F - Jaylen Brown

F - Jayson Tatum

C - Neemias Queta