The league’s top scoring defense will be at home in TD Garden, when the Boston Celtics (23-8) square off with the Atlanta Hawks (7-27). Action begins at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, January 3, 2020.
Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics Betting Odds
Both teams covered in their last game. The Celtics (7.5-point favorites) defeated the Charlotte Hornets 109-92, while the Hawks (10.5-point underdog) beat the Orlando Magic 101-93. The Boston game finished 9 points under the projected point total of 210, while the Atlanta game went 15 points under the projected point total of 209.
Atlanta played a nearly perfect game. They had a solid offensive rebounding percentage of 27.5 (above their season average of 21.2) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.537 (above their season average of 0.503). For those same stats, Orlando had marks of 21.2 and 0.444, respectively. Boston, meanwhile, dominated nearly every stat category in their game. They had a solid offensive rebounding percentage of 31.3 (above their season average of 23.6) and a turnover percentage of 9.0 (better than their season average of 11.7). Charlotte was 17.0 and 15.4, respectively, for those same stats. Enes Kanter played well for Boston with 13 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks. Meanwhile, Atlanta was lifted by Alex Len, who recorded 18 points and 12 rebounds.
The Celtics dominated this series last year, winning all four contests. In the last matchup, Boston won 129-120. Getting to the free throw line was one of Boston’s largest advantages. They made 37 trips to the line, while Atlanta went 24 times. This is the first time these teams will go head-to-head this year.
Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when setting the total of Hawks games, with 18 overs compared to 16 unders. Atlanta heads into the game with records of 7-27 straight up (SU) and 14-20 against the spread (ATS).
Vegas has a tendency to place the total high when the Celtics are involved, as 58.1 percent of their games have gone under the total. Further, Boston is 23-8 SU and 19-11-1 ATS.
The high-powered offense of Boston will battle against the bottom-tier defense of Atlanta. The Celtics currently rank fourth in offensive efficiency, while the Hawks are 28th in defensive efficiency. The Celtics should have the edge on that side of the ball. It will also be a tale of two paces as the up-and-down Hawks rank second in possessions per game, while the more methodical Celtics rank 24th.
Hawks at Celtics Betting Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Celtics, ATS Winner – Celtics, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Hawks average 34.7 three pointers per game, which ranks 10th in the NBA. The Celtics rank 19th in three pointers allowed per game (34.1).
- Boston ranks third in points off turnovers allowed per game (14.5) while Atlanta ranks 29th (20.5).
- The Celtics average 6.1 blocks per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. The Hawks rank 28th in blocks allowed per game (6.7).
- Boston ranks fourth in fast break points allowed per game (11.8) while Atlanta ranks 22nd (14.1).
- Boston ranks 16th in second chance points allowed per game (13.1) while Atlanta ranks 26th (14.4).
- The Celtics rank fourth in points allowed in the paint per game (42.6) while the Hawks rank 29th (53.6).
- The Celtics rank ninth in rebounds allowed per game (44.4) while the Hawks rank 25th (46.9).
- Boston ranks second in steals allowed per game (6.6) while Atlanta ranks 26th (9.1).
- Atlanta is 3-0 when they hold opponents under 100 points, while Boston is 9-1.
- In games where they reach 100 points, the Celtics are 22-4 and the Hawks are 7-21.
- Atlanta is 6-13 ATS on the road, while Boston is 9-6 ATS at home.
- The total has gone over in 13 of the Hawks’ 19 road games, while 8 of the Celtics’ 15 home games have gone under.
Bettings Trends:
- The Celtics are 3-2 ATS over their last five games, while the Hawks are 1-4.
- In their last five games, Boston has 3 overs and 2 unders, while Atlanta has 3 unders and 2 overs.
- During their last five games, the Celtics have scored an average of 114.4 points per game (2.9 above their season average) and allowed an average of 103.4 points per game (0.2 below their season average).
- The Hawks’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 13.2, up from 10.5 for the season.
