Hawks vs. Celtics Pick
Are the host Boston Celtics going to dominate tonight when they take on the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30PM ET?
Who Oddsmakers Like: Boston. According to oddsmakers at YouWager, the Celtics are an 8.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 204 points. Boston opened as a 9.5-point favorite, while the total has creeped up from 203.5.
Who the Public Likes: Boston. As of Friday afternoon, 67 percent of public bets have come in on the Celtics.
Injury Report: Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder is questionable tonight with a shoulder injury. DeAndre Bembry is out until mid-February with a groin strain. For the Celtics, Shane Larkin has missed the last two games with a groin strain and is questionable. Kyrie Irving missed the last game with a quadriceps contusion and his status is unknown tonight. Marcus Morris left the last game with a hip contusion and is questionable tonight. Gordon Hayward is expected to be out fo rthe season with a dislocated ankle and fractured tibia. Marcus Smart is out until mid-February due to a hand laceration.
Who the Trends Like: Atlanta is 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings. The over is 3-0-1 in the last four meetings overall, but the under is 5-2-1 in the last eight meetings in Boston.
Who We Like: It seems as though the expectation is that Irving will play tonight, which obviously only hurts a Hawks team that can’t guard anywhere on the court but most noticeable at point guard. The Hawks actually would improve defensively if the turnstile Schroder didn’t play, but that would also greatly hinder Atlanta’s offense. Boston is in a much better position as if Irving doesn’t play, it can turn to Terry Rozier who recorded a triple-double in his first career start last game as the Celtics downed the visiting Knicks by a count of 103-73. I like how Boston is playing right now and have to take the hosts to roll here.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: BOSTON CELTICS -8.5