The Atlanta Hawks (15-36) will have their hands full against the league’s top shooting defense when they meet the Boston Celtics (37-15) at TD Garden. The game will air on Fox Sports – Southeast at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, February 2, 2018.
Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics ATS Prediction
The Hawks are hoping for a better outcome after their 123-110 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in their last matchup. Charlotte’s rebounding was their biggest strength. The Hornets had 12 offensive rebounds and 42 total rebounds, while the Hawks had four and 29, respectively. Kent Bazemore was Atlanta’s leading scorer with 25 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
In the Celtics’ last matchup, they had no trouble getting past the New York Knicks, 103-73. Boston’s 0.548 effective field goal percentage was their biggest strength over New York, who had a rate of 0.339. The Celtics’ mark was above their season average of 0.517, while the Knicks’ was below their season average of 0.519. With 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, Boston’s Terry Rozier led the way with his zeroth triple-double this season.
Boston figures to have the advantage on the defensive side of the ball. The Celtics currently rank first in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.483), while Atlanta is 17th in effective field goal percentage (0.516).
Atlanta heads into the game with records of 15-36 straight up (SU) and 26-23-2 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when setting the total of Hawks games, with 26 unders compared to 24 overs.
Meanwhile, Boston is 37-15 SU and 31-19-2 ATS. Games featuring the Celtics also have a slight tendency to go under the projected point total (51.9 percent).
Marcus Morris has averaged 13.2 points and 5.2 rebounds over the last five games for Boston.
The Celtics have won both matchups against the Hawks this season, including an 11-point victory in their last matchup. Boston covered as a 6-point favorite and the game finished with a total of 209 points, which was 6 points above the projected point total of 203 points. Boston had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (23.7 vs. 15.8). Atlanta, on the other hand, had a better turnover percentage (13.0 vs. 15.0). In the victory, Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 30 points.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics ATS Pick
Free Pick: SU Winner – Hawks, ATS Winner – Hawks, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Atlanta is 12-10-2 ATS with 13 unders and 11 overs.
At home, Boston is 14-11-2 ATS with 14 unders and 13 overs.
In games where they allow under 100 points, Atlanta is 7-3 and Boston is 25-2.
In games where they reach 100 points, the Hawks are 14-21 and the Celtics are 27-7.
Atlanta ranks first in points off turnovers per game (18.6) while Boston ranks 28th (14.3).
The Celtics rank third in assists allowed per game (20.2) while the Hawks rank 29th (25.9).
Boston ranks fourth in steals allowed per game (6.9) while Atlanta ranks 27th (8.6).
The Celtics rank sixth in blocks allowed per game (4.3) while the Hawks rank 25th (5.3).
Boston averages 31.7 three pointers per game, which ranks fifth in the league. Atlanta ranks 23rd in three pointers allowed per game (30.5).
The Celtics rank 10th in rebounds per game (44.4) while the Hawks rank 26th (40.8).
Boston ranks fifth in fast break points allowed per game (9.6) while Atlanta ranks 18th (12.1).
The Celtics rank 21st in second chance points per game (11.4) while the Hawks rank 23rd in second chance points allowed per game (13.2).
Atlanta is 27th in the league with 40.7 points in the paint per game while Boston is 28th with 39.2 points in the paint per game.
Betting Trends:
In their last five games, Atlanta is 1-4 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Boston is 4-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Hawks’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 11.8, up from 4.7 for the season.
During their last five games, the Celtics have scored an average of 107.8 points per game (4.7 above their season average) and allowed an average of 100.4 points per game (2.1 above their season average).
