The Atlanta Hawks host Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarlerfinals against the Boston Celtics at Philips Arena. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Apr. 19 and can be seen on TNT, CNE, FxS and C+D.
The Hawks come into this game on a high note after just getting past the Celtics 102-101 on Saturday. With 23 points and 12 assists, Jeff Teague recorded his fifth double-double this season.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Atlanta ranks second in the league, allowing just 99.5 points per 100 possessions, while Boston is fifth (101.6).
The Hawks come into this game 48-34 Straight Up (SU) and 41-39-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 48-34 SU and 41-39-2 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Atlanta’s defense is doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 106.4 points per game, well above their season average of 99.2. The Hawks have really locked down opponents, ranking first in the league with a .431 opponent field-goal percentage. Atlanta is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.5 points per game. Boston has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.5 fouls per game), so expect the Hawks to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
On the other side, the Celtics have 48-35 SU and 42-39-2 ATS records. Most recently, Boston is a meager 3-7 ATS over the last 10 games. The Celtics rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the fifth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.80. Boston’s three-point defense is one of the top in the league, with opponents shooting only .334 from the three. A large part of Boston’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 18.7 points per game off turnovers, which ranks third in the league.
With the Hawks’ last win against Boston, their SU record is now 7-3 over the Celtics in the last 10 games. At 5-5, they are even ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Atl
Notes
“Atlanta is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games “.
“Atlanta is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 6 games “.
“Atlanta is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Atlanta’s last 14 games at home”.
“Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston”.
“Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston”.
Atlanta puts up an average of 102.8 points per game (ranked 12th). Boston ranks 13th in points allowed per game with 102.5.
On average, Atlanta scores 103.5 points per home game (ranked 18th), while Boston gives up 104.5 points per away game (ranked 15th).
The Boston Celtics lost their last game by a one-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, the Atlanta Hawks are 6-7. Boston is 5-8 in close games this season.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Celtics are 33-3 on the season. When the Hawks score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 9-25.
The Boston Celtics have a poor 15-32 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Atlanta Hawks are 40-9 when they hit the century mark.
The Hawks have a defensive rating of 99.5, second-best in the NBA. The Celtics also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 104.1 (ranked 13th).
The Atlanta Hawks average a field goal percentage of 45.7% this season. The Boston Celtics have a losing record of 8-23 when opponents have a FG% of 45.7% or greater.
The Atlanta Hawks average 28.0 three point attempts per game, while the Boston Celtics attempt 26.0 per game. When attempting 25 or more three pointers in a game, Atlanta is 31-28, while Boston has a split 25-25 record.
Boston ranks near the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.80 (ranked fifth). Atlanta is ranked eighth, with an A/TO of 1.77 this season.
The Atlanta Hawks rebound 42.2 times per game and are ranked 24th. Ranked sixth, the Boston Celtics rebound 45.0 times per game.
The Boston Celtics are among the best offensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked third). The Atlanta Hawks are in the top half of NBA teams in defensive rebounding (ranked ninth).
Atlanta ranks fourth in forced turnovers with an average rate of 15.5%. Boston has a 13-10 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
