3rd Quarter Report
Their last head-to-head last Monday was close, and so far it looks like that’s how the Celtics and the Hawks will finish this one. Sitting on a score of 90-89, the Celtics have looked like the better team, but there’s still one more quarter to play.
The Celtics came into the match with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Boston Celtics @ Atlanta Hawks
Current Records: Boston 57-15, Atlanta 33-39
How To Watch
- When: Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: State Farm Arena — Atlanta, Georgia
- TV: Bally Sports – Southeast
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $37.00
What to Know
The Hawks will be in front of their home fans on Thursday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. Having just played yesterday, they will get right back to it and host the Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena. The Hawks are strutting in with some offensive muscle, as they’ve averaged 119.2 points per game this season.
The Hawks entered their tilt with the Trail Blazers with two consecutive wins but they’ll enter their next game with three. They took down the Trail Blazers 120-106 on Wednesday. 120 seems to be a good number for Atlanta as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.
Among those leading the charge was Dejounte Murray, who scored 30 points along with seven assists and two steals.
Meanwhile, the Celtics unfortunately witnessed the end of their nine-game winning streak on Monday. They fell just short of the Hawks by a score of 120-118. If the result catches you off guard, it should: Boston was far and away the favorite.
Despite the loss, the Celtics got a solid performance out of Jayson Tatum, who scored 37 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. The match was Tatum’s eighth in a row with at least 30 points.
Atlanta’s win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 33-39. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 124.0 points per game. As for Boston, their defeat ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 57-15.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Hawks haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 12.5 turnovers per game. However, it’s not like the Celtics (currently ranked second) struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging only 11.3. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Hawks came out on top in a nail-biter against the Celtics when the teams last played on Monday, sneaking past 120-118. Will the Hawks repeat their success, or do the Celtics have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Boston is a big 17.5-point favorite against Atlanta, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Celtics as a 12.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 227.5 points.
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Series History
Boston has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Atlanta.
- Mar 25, 2024 – Atlanta 120 vs. Boston 118
- Feb 07, 2024 – Boston 125 vs. Atlanta 117
- Nov 26, 2023 – Boston 113 vs. Atlanta 103
- Apr 27, 2023 – Boston 128 vs. Atlanta 120
- Apr 25, 2023 – Atlanta 119 vs. Boston 117
- Apr 23, 2023 – Boston 129 vs. Atlanta 121
- Apr 21, 2023 – Atlanta 130 vs. Boston 122
- Apr 18, 2023 – Boston 119 vs. Atlanta 106
- Apr 15, 2023 – Boston 112 vs. Atlanta 99
- Apr 09, 2023 – Boston 120 vs. Atlanta 114
