Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction NBA Picks 3/28/24

Atlanta Hawks (33-39) vs Boston Celtics (57-15)

Game Info: Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 7:30 pm (State Farm Arena)

Betting Odds: Atlanta Hawks +12.5 -- Over/Under: 226.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks meet Thursday in NBA action at the State Farm Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Celtics vs Hawks prediction.

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics have been one of the hottest teams in the league as they were riding a nine-game win streak before they got stopped in their tracks by the Hawks in a heartbreaking 120-118 road defeat on Monday. Jayson Tatum led the team with 37 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Jaylen Brown added 24 points on 10 of 22 shooting while Kristaps Porzingis chipped in iwth 17 points. As a team, the Celtics shot 49 percent from the field and 11 of 38 from the 3-point line as they set the tone with 44 points in the first quarter to take an early 30-point lead, but they took their eye off the prize and just couldn't hold off the Hawks who dominated the rest of the game to send the Celtics to their worst defeat of the season. The Celtics will meet the Pelicans after this one.

Atlanta Hawks

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks have been in decent shape as they've won four of their last six games overall and they will be gunning for a fourth straight win after blowing past the Trail Blazers in a 120-106 home win last night. Dejounte Murray led the team with 30 points and seven assists on 13 of 20 shooting, Garrison Matthews added 21 points off the bench while Bogdan Bogdanovic chipped in with 16 points and five assists. As a team, the Hawks shot 51 percent from the field and 16 of 41 from the 3-point line as they exploded for 39 points in the second quarter to take control of the contest, before they poured in another 35 points in the third quarter to lead by as many as 19 points at one stage.

Atlanta Hawks Player Facts

Bogdan Bogdanovic is one of only two players to have scored 40+ points off the bench in a game this season.
Dejounte Murray ranks 3rd in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for steals per game (1.5) this season.

Boston Celtics Player Facts

Derrick White is one of only five qualified players in the league averaging at least 1.0 threes, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks this season.
Jayson Tatum ranks 6th amongst qualified players for points per game (27.3) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

The Hawks rank 1st in the league for field goal attempts per game this season (92.6).
The Hawks rank 2nd in the league for offensive rebounds per game this season (12.8).
The Celtics rank 1st in the league for point differential per game this season (+11.5).
The Celtics rank 1st in the league for opponent blocks per game this season (3.7).

Celtics vs Hawks prediction

The Celtics could be shorthanded here with Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, Jaden Springer and Xavier Tillman all listed as questionable. The Hawks are still without Trae Young, AJ Griffin and Jalen Johnson to name a few. The Celtics will be eager to make up for their disappointing loss to the Hawks on Monday, and they've had plenty of time to think about it. Even though it's tempting to take the Hawks with the handful of points, I'm leaning towards the Celtics to get their revenge in fine fashion in this spot.