After taking Game 1 of their playoff series against the seventh-seeded Hawks on Saturday and winning 112-99, the second-seeded Celtics (-10.5) now have the opportunity to grab a commanding 2-0 series lead. The Celtics led by as many as 32 points in the second half of the game, but they became a touch complacent in the second part of the game, which allowed the Hawks to narrow the deficit to 12 points in the fourth quarter. The Celtics won the game. The superstars of Boston, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, had no issue getting to their positions and scored 25 and 29 points, respectively, while the perimeter defense of Boston stopped the Hawks to just five of 29 shots from three-point range, which is 17.2 percent.
Spread gamblers on the Celtics probably believed there was little chance of a backdoor cover with the C’s leading by more than 30 points in the second half of the game; nevertheless, the Hawks’ second-half run made things interesting. Bettors on the Celtics (-10) avoided a potentially devastating loss at the end of regulation, despite the fact that it was a nail-biter. Tonight, in Game 2, Boston is going to post a similar price as 10.5-point favorites over the other team.
Will the Hawks make it a game for the Celtics by giving them a run for their money and preventing them from putting together a complete game and winning easily? In the following, we will analyze the game between the Celtics and the Hawks that took place on Tuesday night and provide our prediction as well as our top bets for the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Celtics vs Hawks Betting Odds
These are the Celtics vs Hawks betting odds, brought to you by YouWager.lv:
- Atlanta Hawks +10 -110, Moneyline +415
- Celtics -10 -110, Moneyline -525
- Total: 230.5 Over/Under -110
Following a 13-point victory on Saturday, the spread for Game 2 has been adjusted upward by a half point for Boston. This was indicated above. The Celtics scored 74 points while having a 30-point lead at halftime, so there is reason to anticipate that Boston will coast to a 2-0 series lead on Tuesday night. The Celtics scored 74 points while doing anything they wanted to do in the first half of the game. This season, the Celtics have been a successful over/under team at home, covering 57.5 percent of games at the Garden (23-17).
Even though the Hawks will probably attempt a larger percentage of three-point shots tonight, the fact that their interior defense is vulnerable is a cause for concern in terms of keeping this game close. Boston’s ability to continually drive downhill while getting high-percentage looks might lead to the C’s creating yet another significant lead. Atlanta has allowed the 21st-highest defensive two-point scoring rate (56.1%), which is the highest of any team in the NBA.
Although scoring surges from the Hawks are certain to occur given the anticipated tempo of tonight’s game (over/under 230.5 points), we don’t believe the Celtics will ease up on the throttle as much as they did on Saturday, which should result in another comfortable victory for the C’s at home.
The double-digit point spread reflects the fact that the Celtics are the superior club, one that can take advantage of the Hawks in a variety of different ways. Even if the Hawks have a better night shooting from beyond the arc tonight, we still can’t put our faith in a team that finished the regular season ranked 22nd in defensive rating (115.4) to make enough stops when it counts the most.
For the Celtics game against the Hawks, the best player prop bet is on Robert Williams going OVER 7.5 points (-140)
Williams might come off the bench and score eight or more points tonight thanks to Atlanta’s weak performance in the paint as a defensive unit. Williams shot perfect on all six of his attempts to score 12 points for the Celtics in the first game of the series. The Celtics went to the big man off lobs and slips as part of their attacking sets. You should anticipate a performance not dissimilar to the one you saw last night from him considering that he will probably play close to 25 minutes and might attempt close to seven shots.
