Celtics vs. Hawks Betting Odds, Preview, and Predictions

The Boston Celtics (32-25, 27-28-2 ATS) welcome the Atlanta Hawks (26-29, 24-31 ATS) to TD Garden for their matinee matchup on Super Bowl Sunday. Boston has won seven straight games, while the Hawks have lost three of their last four.

According to the online sports book Betonline.ag, the Boston Celtics are 7.5-point favorites:

• Point Spread: Boston Celtics -7.5
• Over-Under: 222 points
• Money line: Boston Celtics -300, Atlanta Hawks +250

Injury Report

The C’s have no players officially listed on their injury report, although Daniel Theis is questionable as he was just recently acquired from the Houston Rockets.

Atlanta has three players listed in their injury report. John Collins is out with a heel injury and will not play again until after the All-Star break. Trae Youn (hip) and Delon Wright (hip) are both listed as probable.

Predicted Starting Lineups

Boston Celtics

G: Marcus Smart

G: Jaylen Brown

F: Jayson Tatum

F: Al Horford

C: Robert Williams

Atlanta Hawks

G: Trae Young

G: Kevin Huerter

F: Bogdan Bogdanovic

F: Danilo Gallinari

C: Clint Capela

Boston Celtics Overview

Boston has been playing some great basketball lately, and it’s been their defense that’s led the way. They are now the second-best defensive team on the season. Not “in the last 30 days” or any stipulation like that, they are just the second-best defensive team this year in general. A lot of credit goes to Marcus Smart and Robert Williams, but the team as a whole has just been phenomenal on that end.

But the story from last game wasn’t their defense, it was instead newly acquired guard Derrick White who stole the show. White dropped 15 points and seemed to fit in seamlessly with the rest of the roster. Tons of fans are now excited to see what else White can bring to the table, but by far the most intriguing storyline moving forward will be the defensive-minded backcourt of Smart and White.

Atlanta Hawks Overview

The Hawks have played the Celtics twice this season, winning both matchups against the C’s. While Young has been a major factor, Atlanta’s other sharpshooters have been the ones doing the most damage to Boston. Guys like Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic have been lighting up the Celtics all year, so it will be interesting to see how Boston’s improved defense fares on Sunday afternoon.

Young is far and away the best player on the Hawks, though. The All-Star starter has put together a phenomenal season, and if he ends up playing, the Celtics will have a tough matchup ahead of them. His dynamic scoring and passing give opposing defenses fits, although not having Collins will certainly take away a valuable weapon for him.

Prediction

Speaking of Young, the C’s need to do a better job of focusing on him, but not to the point where they forget about other guys. Boston’s defense is versatile enough where they should be able to shut down Young while also defending Atlanta’s shooters well. The Hawks have a great offense, so the Celtics’ defense has to be locked in.

At the same time, a bounce-back performance from behind the three-point line would be great. Boston struggled to shoot the ball well against the Denver Nuggets, but their defense carried them to a win. Atlanta’s defense isn’t all that, but if the Celtics aren’t making their shots, it will make the Hawks’ life a lot easier. Hopefully, Boston gets back on track from behind the arc on Sunday afternoon.

Lastly, if Theis is available, this will be the first game where Ime Udoka has all of his players available. Even if Theis doesn’t play, it will be interesting to see how Udoka runs his rotations. Will he go with only eight players again? Will Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith get some run? Keep an eye out for things like that.

Based on their two games this season, Atlanta matches up very well against the C’s, but Boston is a very different team this time around. With how well their defense has looked, the Celtics should be firing on all cylinders.