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The Atlanta Hawks (41-41) will take on the Boston Celtics (57-25) in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET from TD Garden in Boston and will air on NBA TV. In Game 1, the Celtics won 112-99 and were dominating the Hawks for a good portion of the contest.
The only name on the injury report is Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari who is still out with a torn ACL. He has yet to play in a game this season. Gallinari spent the last two seasons with the Hawks before joining Boston.
The Celtics are 10.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook and the point total sits at 229.5. On the moneyline, the Celtics are -520 while the Hawks are +410.
Hawks vs. Celtics, 7 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Celtics -10.5
The Celtics played down to opponents all year, but they are the much better team in this series. While the Hawks got back into the game a bit in Game 1, the Celtics still won by 13. I expect the Celtics to have continued success tonight. This Celtics team has a chip on its shoulder from last year’s lost to the Warriors in the NBA Finals.
The Celtics were 25-17 ATS in home games during the regular season, while Atlanta was 19-23-1 ATS on the road. There is a lot of issues going on with the Hawks right now regarding the future of the roster and Trae Young potentially being dealt. Look for another blowout tonight for Boston.
Over/Under: Over 229.5
This is a big number, but I expect the offenses to bounce back in this game. The two most recent regular season games in which these teams faced off, the game went over this total. When the Hawks’ offense is on, they can put up a ton of points. They were the third best scoring offense in the NBA during the regular season. If Young can bounce back from a poor Game 1, the over should hit.