As a result of the Hawks’ victory over the Heat in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, they have earned a matchup in the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Celtics, who are the second seed.
In the Play-In game, Atlanta completely dominated Miami on the glass by grabbing 63 more rebounds than the Heat and had a 22-6 advantage on the offensive boards. Clint Capela finished with 21 rebounds, and Trae Young had his typical spectacular game, scoring 25 points while also grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out seven assists.
Now, the Hawks will open the playoffs against the Boston squad, which they have not been able to defeat during the regular season. Since 2016, when Al Horford was a member of the Hawks team that eliminated the Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the two teams have not faced each other in the postseason of the National Basketball Association.
Will the Hawks be able to keep their winning streak going and pull off another surprising victory? Or, will the Celtics demonstrate that they are serious about getting back to the NBA Finals by going on a revenge tour?
The YouWager blog has got you covered with this complete series rundown that can be seen below.
Celtics vs Hawks Betting Odds
These are the Celtics vs Hawks Betting Odds, brought to you by YouWager.lv:
Atlanta Hawks: Point Spread +9 -110, Moneyline +310,
Boston Celtics: Point Spread -9 -110, Moneyline -400
Total: 230.5 Over/Under
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Celtics vs Hawks: The regular season series for 2022-23
The season series between Boston and Atlanta was completed with a 3-0 victory for Boston.
- On November 16, 2022, the score was Celtics 126 and Hawks 101.
- Celtics 134, Hawks 125 on the 11th of March, 2023
- Celtics 120, Hawks 114 on the 9th of April, 2023
Each of the first two times the Hawks faced off against the Celtics this season, the Hawks fielded their full starting lineup. Unfortunately for the Hawks, each of those games ended in defeat for Atlanta. Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon were not available for Boston’s first matchup against the Hawks, and Robert Williams III was unavailable for both of the Celtics’ first two contests against Atlanta.
The third and final game between these teams should be taken with a grain of salt due to the fact that it took place on the final day of the regular season, when the majority of regular rotation players were out of the lineup on both sides.
Young put up large statistics in both of the games, scoring 27 points and dishing out nine assists in the first game and then going on to score 35 points and hand out 13 assists in the second game; however, he did not receive much assistance from his teammates. The Celtics performed an excellent job of containing his wingman, Dejounte Murray, and were successful in keeping the star guard’s scoring below his season average of 20.5 points per game in both contests.
The difference in the first game was made by the Boston bench, which outscored the Atlanta bench by a score of 44-23. In the second game, the Jays prevailed against the Hawks thanks to the combined efforts of Jayson Tatum (34) and Jaylen Brown (24), who scored a total of 58 points.
The main question for this Celtics vs Hawks game is whether or not Atlanta can stop Boston from making 3-point shots
When you look at the two games that these teams have played against each other when key rotation players have been in the lineup, one thing jumps out at you right away: the Celtics have absolutely lit up the Hawks from beyond the arc in both of those games.
In the opening game of the series, Boston defeated Atlanta by a score of 63-21 from 3-point range, converting 45.7 percent of their field goal attempts (21 of 46) and handing out 29 assists as a team. In the second game, the Celtics outscored the Hawks from outside the arc by a score of 60-30 while racking up 35 assists and converting 20-of-42 tries (47.6%).
Because Boston had one of the most selfless and greatest 3-point shooting teams all season, this is not an unusual occurrence. Boston ranked seventh in assists (26.7) and second in 3-pointers made (16.0) per game while placing sixth in 3-point efficiency (37.7%).
However, its figures versus Atlanta — averages of 32.0 assists and 20.5 made three-pointers on 46.6 percent shooting across the two games with normal rotation players available — are all significantly higher than its marks for the season as a whole.
How exactly have the Celtics been able to get themselves so many open shots from beyond the arc against the Hawks? by putting pressure on Atlanta’s bigs to defend out on the perimeter of the court.
In pick-and-pop situations, the Boston Celtics routinely switched the assignments of Clint Capela, John Collins, and Onyeka Okongwu to players who were actively involved in the action. The Celtics were able to rely on a wide array of playmakers to make the appropriate readings or extra passes since they frequently have numerous ball handlers and shooters on the court at the same time.
At other times, players like Horford would just sit on the three-point line to space the floor. This would force Atlanta’s rim protectors to crash aggressively anytime scorers like Tatum or Brown would attack the hoop, which would result in the Hawks scrambling defensively.