Two teams moving in different directions will square off at TD Garden as the Atlanta Hawks visit the Boston Celtics. Boston has stabilized things after a difficult start to the season, with Jaylen Brown leading a high-powered offense, while Atlanta reshaped its backcourt earlier this month with the Trae Young trade. The Celtics enter this contest as favorites and they will try to get an important win here. Before the action begins, continue reading to find my Hawks vs Celtics prediction.
Our Hawks vs Celtics Pick
Pick: Celtics -6.5 ATS PRO
Confidence: 3/5
Game Snapshot
Matchup: Atlanta Hawks @ Boston Celtics
Date & Time: Wednesday, January 28, 7:30 PM ET
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Broadcast: NBA League Pass
Key Storylines
Roster reset in Atlanta: Trae Young is out of the picture following the mid-January deal that brought CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Hawks. The offense now flows through Jalen Johnson, whose all-around numbers include 23.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game.
Jayson Tatum remains sidelined as he recovers from an Achilles injury, leaving Jaylen Brown to carry the scoring load. Brown enters with 29.6 points per game, aided by the spacing of Sam Hauser and steady guard play from Derrick White.
Frontcourt availability matters for Boston. Neemias Queta has emerged as a valuable interior presence, but he and Luka Garza are both questionable due to illnesses. The status of that duo could shape the rebounding and second-chance scoring ability of the Celtics.
Both of these teams are playing well going into this matchup. The Hawks have won three straight games and the Celtics have won three of their last four. Both teams enter this game in the top 10 in the Eastern Conference standings and this game is a great opportunity for both of them to make a statement to the rest of the Eastern Conference.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
Past meetings: Boston handled Atlanta 132-106 on in their first meeting of the season on January 17, powered by a 52-point second quarter and 41 from Brown.
The Hawks are 24-24 against the spread going into this contest.
The Celtics go into this matchup with a record of 25-21 against the spread.
The under is 27-19 in Celtics games this year.
Atlanta has gone 25-23 to the over this season.
Hawks vs Celtics Model Projection
Score Projection: Atlanta 111 – Boston 120
Win Probability: Atlanta 38%, Boston 62%
Final Thoughts
The Hawks are playing well going into this matchup, but asking them to go on the road and take down a Celtics team that has been dominant at TD Garden this year might be too big an ask. Boston is 14-7 at TD Garden this season and they should get another win at home in this game behind the excellent play of Jaylen Brown. I'll lay the points with Boston here, as they enter this game with the second-best average point differential in the Eastern Conference.
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