The Atlanta Hawks (33-39) will try to spring another stunning upset when they host the Boston Celtics (57-15) on Thursday night. Atlanta took down Boston as an 11-point underdog on Monday, rallying from 30 points down to beat the top team in the league. The Hawks added a 120-106 win over Portland on Wednesday, extending their lead over Brooklyn for the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Boston had won nine consecutive games before its shocking loss to Atlanta on Monday, and it still has the best record in the East by 11 games.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at State Farm Arena. The Celtics are favored by 16 points in the latest Hawks vs. Celtics odds, while the over/under is 226 points via SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Celtics vs. Hawks picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 23 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 77-50 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,500. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Boston vs. Atlanta. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:
- Hawks vs. Celtics spread: Hawks +16
- Hawks vs. Celtics over/under: 226 points
- Hawks vs. Celtics money line: Hawks: +813, Celtics: -1306
- Hawks vs. Celtics picks: See picks here
Why the Hawks can cover
Atlanta is getting set for the fourth game of a five-game homestand that is off to a fantastic start. The Hawks cruised to a 132-91 win over Charlotte last Saturday, as Dejounte Murray scored 28 points and knocked down a season-high seven 3-pointers. They posted their biggest win of the season on Monday, rallying from 30 points down to stun the Celtics as 11-point underdogs.
Small forward De’Andre Hunter scored 24 points, including a game-clinching 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds remaining. The Hawks stayed hot with a 120-106 win over Portland on Wednesday, as Murray scored 30 points and dished out seven assists to give themselves 5.5 games of cushion for the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Atlanta has covered the spread in six of its last seven home games.
Why the Celtics can cover
While Atlanta is playing the second leg of a back-to-back, Boston has been idle since Monday’s loss. The Celtics had rattled off nine consecutive wins and had won 18 of its previous 20 games prior to that loss, so they will be motivated to make a statement on Thursday. They already beat Atlanta twice earlier this season, and they remained in Atlanta between games for this two-game series.
Boston has the best offensive rating in the NBA (122.5) and ranks second in defensive rating (110.7) after becoming the third team in NBA history to finish in the top three in both offensive and defensive rating last season. The Hawks are playing without starters Trae Young (finger), Jalen Johnson (ankle) and Saddiq Bey (ACL), along with key backup Onyeka Okongwu (toe). The Celtics have covered the spread in eight of their last 10 games, including six of their last seven road games. See which team to pick here.
How to make Hawks vs. Celtics picks
The model has simulated Celtics vs. Hawks 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 70% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Hawks vs. Celtics, and which side of the spread hits almost 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Celtics vs. Hawks spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 77-50 roll on top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.