The Boston Celtics are back in Atlanta for Game 6 tonight against the Hawks. It’s an outcome not many predicted, but Atlanta absolutely fought from the jump on Tuesday, shooting over 46% from three and getting 38 points and the dagger three from Trae Young late in the 4th. The Celtics matched Atlanta’s offense throughout the night but went cold in the 4th, surrendering an 8-0 run that tied the game before losing a few minutes later. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Celtics are 7-point favorites.
Point Spread: Boston Celtics -7
O/U: 232 points
ML: Celtics -300, Hawks +245
Injury Reports
There are no injury updates to report for either team. The only listed player is Danilo Gallinari (ACL), who is out for the Celtics. Gallinari has missed the whole season recovering from surgery.
Celtics Starting Lineup
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Al Horford
Hawks Starting Lineup
PG: Trae Young
SG: Dejounte Murray
SF: De’Andre Hunter
PF: John Collins
C: Clint Capela
Boston Celtics Overview
It’s not exactly time to sound the alarm after Tuesday’s game, but there are some concerns with the Celtics’ lackluster effort down the stretch. Boston got up as much as 13 in the 4th, but let the Hawks hang around for too long, eventually leading to 14 straight Trae Young points and a Game 5 loss. There are a few areas to look to for concrete improvement beyond just staying locked in mentally. Joe Mazzulla after the game noted that the offensive pace took a hit down the stretch, which holds up when you check the stats. Boston outscored Atlanta 24-8 on fast breaks, but in the 4th, those numbers leaned 3-2 in Atlanta’s favor. Quick baskets in transition has been key in putting the Hawks away in every victory this series, and maintaining that pace throughout the entire game can lead to the same result tonight.
Also notable in the 4th quarter collapse? Jayson Tatum was almost invisible on offense. Jaylen Brown was fantastic all night long, but Tatum only taking two shots — one being a desperation three at the buzzer — in the final seven minutes is something the Celtics can’t let happen again. The whole team’s strong showing on offense got them the big lead, but when the game comes down to the wire, they need to turn to their best player who had a solid third quarter after starting slow. The Hawks are obviously going to work hard to deny Tatum the ball, but this hasn’t been an issue all series long and it shouldn’t be one tonight.
Atlanta Hawks Overview
The Hawks were looking like possibly the most down and out team before Tuesday night, going back to Boston in an elimination game without Dejounte Murray. Then, Trae Young happened. In a performance truly reminiscent of his 2021 playoff run, Young had 38 points (16 coming in the 4th quarter), 13 assists, and 2 steals. Young has played out of his mind since the series went to Atlanta for Game 3, now averaging 35 points, 12.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. After the Celtics kept him in jail the first two games, Young has been able to get downhill and get in a rhythm, opening up the Hawks entire offense. Even if his defense (along with the team’s as a whole) is horrific, the Hawks have to feel much more confident tonight knowing this is what they can expect out of their best player.
Also a great sign for the Hawks is the production from their role players has stepped up. In Game 4, it was De’Andre Hunter who had who supplied most of the scoring aside from Young, and in Game 5, John Collins had his series-high of 22 points. Even with Dejounte Murray coming back, the Hawks need to have the same showing from everyone, but most importantly from the bench. The commonality in Atlanta’s two wins is their bench production: 44 points in Game 3, 24 points in Game 5 (not to mention Bogdanovic’s 18 in his spot start). They are able to win when they score at will, getting sizable contributions from basically everyone players seeing the floor. Anything less, and this one will lean in Boston’s favor.
Prediction
It’s getting dicey trying to make a call. On one hand, the Hawks showed out from the opening tip on Tuesday, are coming off a thrilling last-second victory, and are getting their second-best player back from suspension. On the other, the Celtics are clearly the better team, and clearly eased up not just in last night’s game, but the three games they’ve won throughout the series. I think the inconsistent effort is a little bit concerning, but also why I feel the Celtics will finish the Hawks off tonight: they haven’t played a full, lights-out 48 minutes once so far. I don’t know if they necessarily will tonight, but if the Celtics give just a bit more, they can easily beat this team, even with emotions running high in the Atlanta locker room.
