Atlanta Hawks Form
Those Hawks are on a mini roll themselves after winning their last two games against the Bucks by 20 points and against the Magic by 18 points. For some reason this team plays dramatically better at home then on the road. At State Farm Arena they have a 5-1 record and despite a couple of banged up players, they are beating teams by a ton of points. De’Andre Hunter is their biggest absence right now with a wrist injury. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter are both listed as “questionable” with ankle and hamstring injuries, but they could be ready for tonight’s game. The Hawks have covered only 3 times in their last 12 games, but at home that record is a respectable 5-1 ATS over their last 6 games. Against Boston though, they’ve won only once in their last 6 home games.
Boston Celtics Form
After splitting their last two games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Celtics are now 7-7 on the season and rank 9th in the Eastern Conference as things stand. Although he led the team in scoring with 23 points, Jayson Tatum has really struggled with his shot in the month of November. He is currently shooting just 37.3% from the field which is far too low for someone who takes 20+ shots a game. His struggles might be down to the Celtics missing their 2nd best player Jaylen Brown who is out with a hamstring injury. Opposing teams are throwing everything they have at Tatum and he is yet to find consistency early on in the season. Things might change against Atlanta, the Celtics have beaten them 8 times in the last 10 meetings and are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics Head to Head
With Brown still out, Boston has been very inconsistent which is understandable as he is their 2nd best player after all. Atlanta has shifted into a completely different gear since returning from a long road trip. Trae Young in particular has been outstanding in the last two wins, I just feel like they have a lot more to offer here, Jayson Tatum isn’t capable of carrying this Celtics team on his own. Hawks to cover at home.
Betting Tip: Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics
Atlanta Hawks -4.0 Point Spread is available at -110 odds on bet365
The Hawks like to push the tempo a bit more in home games, their last two results at State Farm Arena are 129-11 and 120-100. Trae Young has had his way with both of those defenses, I have a feeling he might go for it again tonight. Boston has only one good defender in Marcus Smart who they can match-up with Young, but once he’s gone Trae should unleash. On the defensive side, the Hawks aren’t exactly one of the best teams out there. They allow opponents to shoot 46.1% from the field, which ranks only 23rd in the NBA. 6 of the last 10 meetings (including 4 of the last 5) between these two have resulted in the total going over and the Celtics are shooting 47% while Atlanta is at 45% in those 10 games. The average amount of points scored was 229.1 points in those 10 games, in the 3 most recent meetings that number goes up even further to 235 per game. Let’s back the over in this one as well.
