The No. 2 seed Celtics will look to put the No. 7 seed Hawks on the brink of elimination at 7 p.m. ET in Game 3 of the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs. The series switches to Atlanta for the next two games after the Celtics took care of business at home in Games 1 and 2.
The Hawks were better offensively in Game 2, but it wasn’t enough, as the Celtics won 119-106. Dejounte Murray led Atlanta in scoring, dropping 29 points on 11-of-24 shooting from the field and 7-of-13 shooting from three-point range. Murray also added six rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Meanwhile, Trae Young recorded 24 points (9-22 FG, 2-8 3pt), six assists, three rebounds, and two steals. The Hawks also got a solid performance from De’Andre Hunter, who had 18 points and 12 rebounds, outplaying both John Collins (five points and six rebounds) and Clint Capela (four points and seven rebounds).
As for the Celtics, it was business as usual, as they had four starters in double figures. Jayson Tatum led the way with 29 points (12-22 FG, 5-9 3pt), 10 rebounds, and six assists. Derrick White was the standout star for Boston, scoring 26 points on an efficient 11-of-16 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. He also had a couple of assists and grabbed seven rebounds. The Celtics’ offense was clicking on all cylinders, shooting 55.8 percent from the field and knocking down timely threes.
Can the Hawks push this series to a fifth game, or will the Celtics take care of business on the road tonight? Below, we’ll break down tonight’s Celtics-Hawks matchup, giving our prediction and best bets for the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
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Celtics vs. Hawks odds, picks, predictions
- Spread: Celtics -5.5 (-105); Hawks +5.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: OVER 228.5 (-110); UNDER 228.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Celtics -210; Hawks +170
The Celtics were double-digit favorites in Games 1 and 2 but are 5.5-point favorites for tonight’s Game 3. However, that should not ring any alarm bells for bettors, as Boston was 25-16 on the road during the road.
The Celtics are receiving 95 percent of the bets (93 percent of the handle) on the spread after it opened up at -4.5. Boston is also receiving 82 percent of the bets (87 percent of the handle) on the moneyline, which isn’t a surprise based on the first two games. Boston is 20-19-2 against the spread on the road and 14-18-2 as a road favorite this season.
Despite those ATS numbers, it’s hard not to like the Celtics, who have the perimeter defenders to match up with Young and Murray and can shoot lights out from beyond the arc, which they did in Game 2 (15-of-33, 45.5 percent). If the Hawks allow the Celtics to step into threes and aren’t fast enough on rotations, it could be a long night.
We have to put some respect on Atlanta’s name when it’s at home, as shown by its 24-17 regular-season home record. However, that success hasn’t translated well to the spread, as Atlanta is just 18-22-1 ATS at home and 4-4 ATS as a home underdog. It’s possible that the Hawks could keep tonight’s game close, but it will require good outings from Murray/Young and someone in the frontcourt to step up. In Game 2, Hunter had a double-double, but Capela and Collins need to play better. They can’t get outscored by Robert Williams and Al Horford, who had 16 combined points and nine rebounds in Game 2.
The Hawks will get off to a good start in front of their home court, but the Celtics eventually wear them down and take Game 3.
Prediction: Celtics 112, Hawks 106. The Celtics (-5.5) cover the spread, with the game going UNDER the total (228.5)
Best player prop bet for Celtics vs. Hawks: Bogdan Bogdanovic OVER 2.5 three-pointers made (+110)
The Hawks need Bogdanovic to be locked in tonight and ready to shoot when his number is called. The veteran guard is coming off a solid bounce-back performance in Game 2 where he scored 18 points on seven-of-11 shooting from the field and four-of-seven from three. In Game 1, Bogdanovic struggled like the rest of Atlanta’s offense, scoring nine points on three-of-10 shooting from the field and two-of-seven from beyond the arc.
Bogdanovic has gone over 2.5 threes in four out of his past 10 games (including the regular season), and it does not help that the Celtics allow the second-fewest three-pointers made by SGs (2.62) this season. But we will bank on Bogdanovic to get a boost at home, where he shot 39.6 percent from beyond the arc this season on 6.7 attempts per game.