Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks odds, picks and predictions

Kevin Erickson

Staff Writer

The Boston Celtics (57-15) battle the Atlanta Hawks (33-39) Thursday. Tip-off at State Farm Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. Let's analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the Celtics vs. Hawks odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.

Season series: Celtics lead 2-1; Hawks surprised Boston 120-118 as 10.5-point underdogs Monday as the Over (224.5) cashed

The Celtics had their 9-game winning streak snapped in Atlanta Monday, and in a scheduled twist, they face the Hawks for a 2nd straight game. It's not a true back-to-back, though, as Atlanta faced the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday night, with the Hawks winning 120-106.

Boston is still 8-2 against the spread (ATS) in the past 10 games, despite the loss, while cashing the Over in 4 in a row and 6 of the past 7 contests.

Atlanta has won 3 in a row while scoring at least 120 points in each of the outings. The Hawks have covered those 3 games, too, while hitting the Over in 5 consecutive contests.

Celtics at Hawks odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:05 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Celtics -1200 (bet $1,200 to win $100) | Hawks +750 (bet $100 to win $750)
Against the spread: Celtics -16 (-110) | Hawks +16 (-110)
Over/Under (O/U): 226 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Celtics at Hawks key injuries

Celtics

G Jrue Holiday (shoulder) questionable
C Al Horford (toe) questionable
G Jaden Springer (knee) questionable
F Xavier Tillman (knee) questionable

Hawks

(Not yet submitted -- below was for Wednesday's game)

F Jalen Johnson (ankle) out
F Onyeka Okongwu (toe) out
G Trae Young (finger) out

For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.

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Celtics at Hawks picks and predictions

Prediction

Celtics 123, Hawks 111

Moneyline

The Celtics (-1200) will cost you 12 times your potential return, and there is never a reason to bet such heavy favorites, straight up or otherwise. In fact, Monday's game should serve as a cautionary tale, as the C's were laying double-digits on the road, and the Hawks (+750) won outright.

AVOID.

Against the spread

The HAWKS +16 (-110) is a strong play catching 8 buckets. They just won outright as 10.5-point underdogs Monday night.

The books might be overthinking this a bit. Perhaps they figure that loss lit a fire under the Celtics -16 (-110), and they'll come out mad. Perhaps there is concern with Atlanta playing a 3rd game in 4 days, and the legs might not be there. All valid concerns, certainly, but it's hard to get past the result of Monday's game, head-to-head.

Boston should exact some revenge, but Atlanta is catching an awful lot of points, especially on its home floor, and it is playing well lately.

Over/Under

OVER 226 (-110) is a slam-dunk play in the ATL.

The Celtics have been so-so on Over plays this season, splitting totals right down the middle at 35-35-2. However, the Over is on a 4-0 run while going 6-1-1 in the past 8 games, including Monday's 120-118 loss on a total of 224.5. Boston has 117 or more points in 10 striaght games while allowing 113 or more points in 3 of the past 4 outings.

The Hawks have also been rocking the Over, hitting high in 5 in a row, with 120 or more points of offense in 3 straight games while yielding 118 or more points in 3 of the past 5 contests.

The windows are open, North Carolina!

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