The Boston Celtics will look to continue their season-long dominance over the Atlanta Hawks when they meet in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff matchup on Saturday in Boston. The Hawks (41-41), who earned the seventh seed in the 2023 NBA playoffs by defeating Miami in the play-in tournament, are 17-24 on the road this season. The Celtics (57-25), the second seed and Atlantic Division champion, have won the last five meetings with Atlanta, including all three this year. Boston finished the regular season 34-18 against Eastern Conference foes, while the Hawks were 26-26.
The game will tip off at 3:30 p.m. ET from TD Garden. The Hawks are averaging 118.4 points per game this season, third-best in the league, while the Celtics average 117.9, fourth-best. Boston is a 10-point favorite in the latest Hawks vs. Celtics odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 231. Before locking in any Celtics vs. Hawks picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model entered the 2023 NBA playoffs a stunning 71-36 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $3,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Celtics vs. Hawks, and just locked in its picks and NBA playoff predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Hawks vs. Celtics:
- Celtics vs. Hawks spread: Celtics -10
- Celtics vs. Hawks over/under: 231 points
- Celtics vs. Hawks money line: Hawks +360, Celtics -480
- ATL: The Over is 4-0-1 in the Hawks' last five games overall
- BOS: The Celtics are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven home games
- Celtics vs. Hawks picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Celtics can cover
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the stars for Boston, but they've gotten plenty of help this season. Point guard Derrick White enters the series averaging 12.4 points, 3.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 82 games played, including 70 starts. White was one of just 10 players league-wide to play in all of his team's games. He also led all guards with 76 blocks, fourth-most in a season by a Celtics players who was primarily a guard. In three games against the Hawks this year, he averaged 12.3 points, six assists and three rebounds. He connecting on 60.9% of his field goals against Atlanta, including a blistering 50% from 3-point range.
Point guard Malcolm Brogdon comes off the bench for Boston and has also been dominant. In his last outing, he scored 29 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists in the win over Toronto on April 5. In 67 games for the Celtics, he is averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Brogdon scored 18 points, dished out five assists and grabbed four boards in his only appearance against the Hawks in 2022-2023.
Why the Hawks can cover
Despite that, Boston isn't a lock to cover the Hawks vs. Celtics spread. That's because point guard Trae Young has been red hot, registering double-doubles in each of the last three games, and in five of six. He has 40 on the season, and 168 in his career. Young became the first player in franchise history to record 25 points and 20 assists in a single game on April 7. In that contest, a 136-131 overtime loss to Philadelphia, he also recorded four steals to become just the seventh player in NBA history to record at least 25 points, 20 assists and four steals. He joined John Stockton, who did it twice, Kevin Porter, Phil Ford, Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson and Kevin Johnson in the accomplishment.
Also helping lead Atlanta is shooting guard Dejounte Murray, who is averaging 20.5 points, 6.1 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 74 games, all starts. Murray has scored at least 17 points per game in his last six games. He has registered eight double-doubles and one triple-double on the season, and has scored at least 10 points in 71 games. He reached 20-plus points 39 times and scored 30 or more six times.
How to make Hawks vs. Celtics picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 228 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Celtics vs. Hawks? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
