Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics: Spread & Final Score Predictions For Today's Game

The Atlanta Hawks have had two days off since defeating the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night and now they will face as big of a challenge as there is in the NBA, going into Boston to face the Celtics. The Hawks however already have a win vs the Celtics in Boston this season, one of the biggest upsets of the year. There is a chance that the Hawks will be near full strength for this game and Boston will be on the second night of a back-to-back, having defeated Orlando last night at home.

Our own Rohan Raman gave an in-depth preview of the game:

"Coming into tonight's game, the Hawks are 6th in the NBA in PPG, 16th in FG%, 15th in 3PA, 19th in 3P%, 3rd in FTA, 22nd in turnovers, and 6th in rebounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 14th in points per 100 possessions, 19th in effective field goal percentage, 19th in turnover percentage, 9th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 8th in free throw rate.

Currently, the Hawks rank 28th in PPG allowed, 25th in field goal percentage allowed, 29th in three-point attempts allowed, and 30th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 21st in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Boston takes a lot of threes without making many mistakes. The Celtics are 5th in PPG, 18th in FG%, 1st in three point attempts, 15th in 3P%, 21st in free throw attempts, 9th in rebounding, and 1st in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Boston is 3rd in points per 100 possessions, 7th in effective field goal percentage, 1st in turnover percentage, 16th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 21st in free throw rate.

If Jalen Johnson can play, he is going to be a critical matchup on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. However, one matchup that is very interesting is the Vit Krejci - Tatum matchup. Krejci played Tatum very well last year and it gives Atlanta an interesting look if they can find success with that again.

DeAndre Hunter returning will be massive for the Hawks' bench. He's struggled with consistency as of late, but he's been one of the best shooters and most consistent offensive options for the Hawks throughout most of the year. However, he should have some help with more consistent minutes from Wallace and Plowden. Both have made compeling cases for larger roles.

One area of this game which should be hotly contested is the rebounding battle. Atlanta has consistently been a very strong rebounding team and it's played a massive role in their victories. It'll be interesting to see if that can continue against Boston."

Odds

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, the Celtics are 10.5 point favorites tonight vs Atlanta and the over/under is set at 235.5.

Prediction

The injury report is going to be massive in this game. Horford, Tatum, and Porzingis being questionable could mean that all three sit out, though I think that is unlikely. It seems that Atlanta will get Young and Hunter back, but Johnson's presence is huge. Atlanta is not the same team without him and while they were able to beat Utah, Phoenix, and Chicago without him, Boston is a different story entirely. The Celtics are a tough matchup for the Hawks and being at home, it is hard to pick against them, though I expect this game to be close.

Final Score: Celtics 119, Hawks 113

Odds

Prediction

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