The Atlanta Hawks head to the TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Action gets underway at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 24 and can be seen on TNT, CNE and FxS.
The Celtics defeated the Hawks 111-103 on Friday. Isaiah Thomas was the game’s high scorer with 42 points on 12-for-24 shooting.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Boston ranks fifth in the league, allowing just 101.4 points per 100 possessions, while Atlanta is second (99.3). Furthermore, the defense of the Hawks should have an advantage in terms of effective field goal percentage. They’re third in the league in forcing misses (opponents’ effective field goal percentage of 47.8%), while the offense of the Celtics ranks 27th in effective field goal percentage (48.6%).
The Celtics enter the game with records of 49-36 Straight Up (SU) and 43-40-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games. Boston has been steady from the free throw line, shooting an impressive .788. Few teams in the league have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Boston, which ranks fifth at 1.79. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Celtics prevent teams from making three-pointers on the defensive end, ranking fourth in the league with a .333 opponent field-goal percentage from three-point range. Boston is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.6 points per game.
On the other side, the Hawks head into the game with records of 42-41-2 ATS and 50-35 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Atlanta is 50-35 SU and 42-41-2 ATS. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Hawks, who are the top team in the league in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .430. Atlanta is the fourth-best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 18.3 per game. Atlanta may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Celtics averaging 22.4 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
Boston won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the win was not enough to overtake Atlanta in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 3-7 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Atl
Notes
Atlanta ranks 13th in points per game with 102.7, while Boston ranks 14th in points allowed with an average of 102.3 given up.
Atlanta puts up an average of 102.1 points per away game (ranked ninth). Boston ranks 14th in points allowed per home game with 100.5.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Hawks are 34-9 on the season. When the Celtics score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 7-16.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Hawks are just 16-26 this season. Boston is a solid 42-20 when registering triple digits.
The Hawks have an offensive rating of 103.2 (ranked 20th), while the Celtics rank fifth for their defensive rating of 101.4.
The Atlanta Hawks average a field goal percentage of 45.6% this season. The Boston Celtics have a losing record of 9-23 when opponents have a FG% of 45.6% or greater.
The Atlanta Hawks rank lower for their field goal percentage (11th) than their effective field goal percentage (sixth), while the Boston Celtics rank the same for both metrics (27th).
Atlanta ranks near the top of the league in assists at second (25.4 assists per game). Boston is ranked sixth, with 24.1 assists per game.
Boston makes an average of 4.4 blocks per game (ranked 21st). Atlanta ranks higher in blocks with 6.1 (ranked second).
The Boston Celtics are among the best offensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked fourth). The Atlanta Hawks are one of the top defensive rebounding teams (ranked seventh).
The Atlanta Hawks rank third in steals, with an average of 9.0 per game. When the Boston Celtics allow at least 9 steals, they have a winning 22-13 record.
