NBA playoff preview and tips: Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics
- George Dempsey
- 15 April 2023
Atlanta Hawks are a surprise inclusion in the 2023 NBA playoffs and they’ll face an uphill task against the Boston Celtics.
The third-best home offence in the league, averaging 120.5 points per game, will play host to the fourth-best road scorers in the league, who average 117.1 points per game, as the Celtics and Hawks meet.
There's no doubt that the Hawks have the firepower to make some of these games interesting, although the Celtics are as short as 1/2 to win this series by at least three games.
Perhaps a pretty good indicator is the regular season mini-series between the teams which Boston dominated. Game one saw the series favourites leave Atlanta with a 126-101 win.
Later in the season, they'd wrap up a 3-0 sweep with another dominant win on the road, 134-125, before taking care of business on their court in April, 120-114.
It's worth noting that two of those games surpassed the total set by the bookmakers for game one of this Eastern Conference series, with the other falling short by just four points.
The defence has not been a priority for a Celtics side that has been able to score at will this season.
Boston doesn't tend to play a particularly fast clip, but they're extremely efficient and blessed with an embarrassment of riches in the scoring department.
Atlanta Hawks often look to talisman Trae Young for their offensive production, but the addition of Dejounte Murray has improved their output, and it's made them a team that can hurt you from every angle.
The over is 22-10 in the Celtic's last 32 against a team with a losing road record and 5-2 in their last seven overall.
The over is a solid 24-17 in Atlanta Hawk road games this season, and 25-15-1 in Boston Celtics home games.
The visitors are going to look to push the pace here and the Celtics may run and gun with them for a little while, which should help the total go over, but they'll take control when the time is right.
Standout Trends
The Celtics are 19-8-1ATS in their last 28 Eastern Conference quarter-finals.
The Celtics are 5-0ATS in their last five games against Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks are 11-27ATS in their last 38 games against teams winning 60% of home games.
The Hawks are 17-36ATS in their last 53 games following an ATS win.
Suggested Bets
Over 231
