Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
Friday, April 1, 2011, 8:00 pm Eastern, TV: ESPN
Opening Line: Pick
Current Line: Celtics -1 1/2
Opening Total: 178 1/2
Current Total: 177 1/2
Money Line: Celtics -125 / Hawks +105
After beating the Spurs 107-97 last night in San Antonio, the Celtics now travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks. The Hawks are 43-32 and virtually locked into the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and a likely date with the Orlando Magic in the first round. Boston is 52-22 and tied with Miami 2 1/2 games behind Chicago for the top seed in the East. Atlanta has 7 games left to play while Boston has 8 games left. After trading Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder, the Celtics had a 5-7 stretch that started March 9th to fall out of first place in the conference. The victory at the league-leading Spurs might just what the doctor (or at least coach Doc Rivers) ordered to help the Celtics get their swagger back before the playoffs start. For the Hawks, this might not seem like an important game because they can’t really move up or down unless something crazy happens. However, a win over the Celtics would give them confidence that they can play with any of the 4 contenders in the East, especially coming on the heels of a three game winning streak including an 85-82 win over the Magic Wednesday night.
The Celtics have won and covered both meetings against the Hawks this season. Rajon Rondo missed both games with an injury but the Celtics still won both games handily. The two teams haven’t played since December 16, but the Celtics beat them in Atlanta 99-76 in late November and in Boston 102-90 in the December game. Though Boston has won 6 of the last 10 against Atlanta straight up, the Hawks are 6-4 ATS in those games. Six of those 10 have gone over the total. Boston is 25-36 ATS as a favorite this season. Boston is 4-10 ATS when playing on back-to-back nights this season. The Celtics are also 5-20 ATS this season after win by 10 or more points the previous game.
The veteran Celtics are ravaged by injuries now and are trying to get healthy in time for the playoffs. It might not matter in the first round against the Indiana or Philadelphia, but the Celtics have to be healthy by the second round against the Magic, Bulls, or Heat. Just when Jermaine O’neal returns for the first time since mid-January, Nenad Krstic injured his knee Thursday night and is out indefinitely. He flew back to Boston for an MRI. Shaquille O’Neal is out at least another week with a strained Achilles’ tendon. Troy Murphy is questionable with an ankle injury tonight. The Hawks have no significant injuries right now.
The Celtics have 6 players scoring in double figures led by Paul Pierce who averages 18.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1 steal a game. Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, and Jeff Green also score more than 10 points a game. Garnett leads the team in rebounds with 9 a game. Rondo leads the team in assists with 11.3 a game and steals with 2.3 a game. Jermaine O’Neal is tied with Shaq for the team lead in blocks with 1.2 a game. The Celtics are outscoring opponents 97-91 on the year. Boston is shooting 48.6% from the field and 36.2% from 3-point range. Celtic opponents are shooting 43.5% from the field. Boston makes 76.9% of their free throws. Boston averages 38.9 rebounds a game and has a rebounding margin of -0.7. The Celtics average 23.6 assists and 14.4 turnovers a game. They force 15.5 turnovers a game. Boston averages 8.3 steals and 4.1 blocks a game.
Five Hawks score in double figures including Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Josh Smith, Jamal Crawford and Marvin Williams. Johnson leads the Hawks in scoring with 18.5 points and assists with 4.9 a game. Horford leads the team in rebounds with 9.5 a game. Smith leads the team in blocks with 1.6 and steals with 1.5 a game. Somewhat Amazingly, the Hawks give up 95.2 points a game and score 95.2 points a game as well. The Hawks are shooting 46.3% from the field and 35.4% from 3-point range. Hawk opponents shoot 45.6% from the field. Atlanta makes 77.9% of their free throws. The Hawks average 39.7 rebounds a game and have a rebounding margin of -0.9. Atlanta averages 22.3 assists and 13.6 turnovers a game. The Hawks force 12.6 turnovers a game on defense. Atlanta averages 6.1 steals and 4.2 blocks a game.
This could be an opportunity for the Hawks to make a statement. Boston hasn’t done well in the second night of back to back games this season. Especially after such an emotional win over the team with the best record in the league. Atlanta has a great chance to win this game, but even if they do I don’t think Atlanta is on the same level as Chicago, Boston, Miami, and Orlando.
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