The Atlanta Hawks take on the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their 1st-round playoff series at TD Garden Tuesday. Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Hawks vs. Celtics odds, and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
The Celtics annihilated the Hawks in Game 1 of the best-of-7 series. While the Celtics ended up winning by just 13, they took a 30-point lead into the half. F Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 29 points in the 112-99 win.
Boston has covered 5 straight games and is 46-36-1 against the spread (ATS) on the season, postseason included. The Celtics have covered 9 of their last 11 games and 4 straight at home.
The Hawks are just 1-3 ATS in their last 4 games. They took down the Heat 116-105 in the play-in tournament prior to losing Game 1 to Boston. Atlanta finished the season 36-46 ATS.
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Hawks at Celtics odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 7:05 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Hawks +400 (bet $100 to win $400) | Celtics -550 (bet $550 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Hawks +10.5 (-115) | Celtics -10.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 229.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Hawks at Celtics key injuries
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Celtics
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Hawks at Celtics picks and predictions
Prediction
Celtics 122, Hawks 115
Moneyline
PASS.
The Hawks should play better, but the Celtics finished the season top 2 in defensive and offensive rating. They are a juggernaut on both ends of the court and should continue thriving in the series.
At (-550), they aren’t worth any play on the moneyline though.
Against the spread
BET HAWKS +10.5 (-115).
The Hawks lost by 13, and quite frankly, G Trae Young couldn’t have played much worse.
He had 16 points but was just 5-for-18 from the field and 1-for-5 from deep, both drastically under his season-long efficiency averages. Young should bounce back and perform at least better.
The Hawks shot 38.8% from the field and 17.2% from deep. Boston is the better team in the series, but being more than a double-digit favorite is enough to take Atlanta to at least keep it remotely close. It did outscore Boston by 17 in the second half Sunday.
Atlanta is 22-18-1 ATS after a loss this season as well. Back the HAWKS +10.5 (-115) to improve upon their last performance and keep things within single digits.
Over/Under
LEAN OVER 228.5 (-115).
The Hawks scored just 99 points on Sunday. They are 46-35-1 O/U on the season and had gone Over in 4 of their last 5 regular season games. Young averaged 26.2 points per game during the season, and the team averaged 118.4, the 3rd most in the league. Expect improvement there.
Similarly, the Celtics went over in their last 2 regular season games and in 5 of their last 7. They were 43-38-1 O/U on the season and averaged 117.9 points per game. The offenses should get better as the series goes on.
Give me the OVER 229.5 (-105) here.
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