Celtics vs. Hawks: Boston Looks to Extend Winning Streak against Atlanta in Playoff Race

The Boston Celtics, currently leading the Eastern Conference with a record of 57-15, are set to take on the Atlanta Hawks, who sit in tenth place in the conference with a mark of 33-39. The game will be played in Atlanta on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EDT. According to FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE, the Celtics are favored by -16 points, with an over/under set at 227.5 points.

The Hawks will be looking to snap their three-game winning streak and maintain their position in the playoff race with a victory over Boston. With a conference record of 19-26 and a record of 17-26 against teams with winning records, the Hawks face a tough challenge against the second-best team in the league.

On the other hand, the Celtics boast an impressive record of 38-8 against Eastern Conference opponents and have been leading in scoring this season with an average of 121.1 points per game. The Celtics have been known for their exceptional defense, allowing just 109.6 points per game on average.

Boston has been averaging 16.6 made three-pointers per game this season, which is lower than the Hawks’ average of giving up (14.0). However, De’Andre Hunter scored an impressive 24 points for Atlanta during their last meeting on March 25.

This is their fourth meeting this season, and while Dejounte Murray has been a top performer for Atlanta, averaging 22.4 points, Jayson Tatum has led Boston’s offense with an average of 27.3 points per game.

In terms of recent performance, both teams have had their ups and downs. The Hawks have gone through some rough patches recently and have lost five out of their last ten games while averaging just over 100 points per game.

The Celtics have won nine out of their last ten games while maintaining an average scoreline well above that mark.

Both teams will be dealing with injuries going into this matchup; Trae Young is out for Atlanta due to finger injury while Jrue Holiday is day to day for Boston due to shoulder injury.

Jalen Johnson and Saddiq Bey are among other injured players on both sides while Jaden Springer is also injured along with Xavier Tillman Sr., Al Horford from Boston’s side and AJ Griffin from Atlanta’s side.