Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 24/03/2024, 17:34  by Joseph King | Modified on 24/03/2024 at 17:40 in NBA Prediction

The Atlanta Hawks face off against the NBA’s best team when they host the Boston Celtics at the State Farm Arena on Monday. Atlanta’s 31-39 record has them sitting 10th in the Eastern Conference while Boston sits top of the East pack with their stellar mark of 57-14.

The Hawks are coming off a massive 132-91 home win over the stinger-less Hornets on Saturday. It was a much-needed win for Atlanta as they had previously managed only a single victory through six games. The win allowed them to make up some ground on the ninth-place Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings, who they trail by 2.5 games as we head into the final stretch of the regular season. Atlanta will have to brave the play-in tournament if they are to advance to the postseason for the fourth consecutive year. Unfortunately for them, they’ll likely be without star player Trae Young as he continues to recover from surgery on his left hand. Atlanta’s games this season have had plenty of points with the hosts combination of fifth-ranked scoring offense (119.2 points per game) and 28th-ranked defense (120.7 points allowed per game).

Boston’s dominant campaign continues on with the 2022 finalists now having built up an enormous 11.5 game lead over the second-place Bucks. It can’t be understated just how superior the Celtics have been this season compared to the competition. They’re outscoring opponents by 11.7 points per game on average, a mark which ranks fourth all-time and better than the record-setting 73-9 Warriors (who finished with +11.63). Additionally, their +11.2 net rating is the highest recorded in the 10 year data sample available (per dunksandthrees.com), while they also rank first in adjusted offensive rating and second in adjusted defensive rating. Boston comes into this contest off the back of a 124-113 away win over the Bulls, their ninth consecutive victory.