The Boston Celtics visit State Farm Arena to take on the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Boston is 25-24 overall with a 9-14 road record this season. Atlanta is 22-25 overall and 12-11 at home, with the Hawks riding an active, five-game winning streak. Both teams enter at close to full strength from an injury standpoint, with Boston missing only Bol Bol (foot) and PJ Dozier (knee), and Atlanta listing Danilo Gallinari (eye) and De'Andre Hunter (back) listed as questionable.
Caesars Sportsbook lists the Hawks as one-point road favorites, and tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the Over-Under, is 217 in the latest Celtics vs. Hawks odds. Before you make any NBA predictions with the Celtics vs. Hawks match-up, 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 on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 15 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 58-32 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning over $2,100. 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 predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Hawks vs. Celtics:
- Celtics vs. Hawks spread: Hawks -1
- Celtics vs. Hawks over-under: 217 points
- Celtics vs. Hawks money line: Hawks -115, Celtics -105
- BOS: The Celtics are 12-10-1 against the spread in road games
- ATL: The Hawks are 11-12 against the spread in home games
Why the Celtics can cover
Boston's defense is extremely potent. The Celtics are allowing only 106.4 points per 100 possessions this season, a top-five mark in the NBA. Boston is No. 2 in the NBA in field-goal percentage allowed (43.7 percent) and 2-point percentage allowed (50.0 percent), with a league-leading mark in assists allowed 21.8 per game). The Celtics also hold opponents to just 34.3 percent shooting on 3-point attempts, and Boston allows only 20.5 free-throw attempts per contest.
From there, Boston is in the top quartile of the league in blocked shots (5.8 per game), points in the paint allowed (41.8 per game) and second-chance points allowed (12.4 per game), with a few offensive strengths as well. The Celtics are securing nearly 28 percent of available rebounds on the offensive glass, and Boston is No. 2 in the league converting 81.9 percent of free-throw attempts this season.
Why the Hawks can cover
Atlanta's success is based heavily on the offensive end of the floor, with the Hawks posting top-five marks in offensive efficiency, turnover avoidance, assist-to-turnover ratio, three-point accuracy and much more. However, Nate McMillan's team also has a strong projection on defense against the Celtics. Atlanta is in the top five of the NBA in free throw prevention, giving up only 19.2 attempts per game. The Hawks are also in the top eight of the NBA in defensive rebound rate at 73.8 percent, and opponents average only 12.1 second-chance points per contest.
Boston's offense also isn't special this season, ranking below the league average in multiple categories. The Celtics struggle to the No. 22 mark in field goal percentage, with middling numbers in three-point accuracy, assists and free throw creation.
How to make Celtics vs. Hawks picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting 223 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can only see the model's Hawks vs. Celtics pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Celtics vs. Hawks? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Celtics vs. Hawks spread you need to jump on Friday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
