Hawks vs Celtics Picks & Odds (April 9)
- The Boston Celtics are 7-point home favorites vs the Atlanta Hawks Sunday
- Atlanta is in the7-8 play-in game vs Miami, with the winner drawing Boston in Round 1 of the playoffs
- Read below for the Hawks vs Celtics odds and predictions
It’s likely a major window-dressing matchup Sunday in the regular season finale for both the Atlanta Hawks (41-40, 17-23 away) and the Boston Celtics (56-25, 31-9 home).
However, there’s a very distinct chance this could be a first-round matchup in the East NBA Playoff Bracket if the Hawks, slotted in eighth, take down the 7th-seeded Miami Heat in their upcoming play-in game. The winner locks into the 7-seed, and a date with the 2-seed Celts.
It all gets underway Sunday (April 9) at 1pm ET from TD Garden in Boston, MA. You can watch the game live on ESPN.
With no benefit for any team to win, the laundry list of sidelined for this matchup is huge — more on that below.
Hawks vs Celtics Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Hawks | +7 (-110) | +230 | OFF |
| Boston Celtics | -7 (-110) | -275 | OFF |
The visiting Hawks are 7-point road ‘dogs in the current NBA odds, an implied win probability of 30.30%.
Boston is one of four NBA teams to crack the 30+ win plateau at home, going 31-9 at TD Garden.
Atlanta is 17-23 on the road this year, and have just three wins in their last 10 away from home.
Odds as of April 8 at DraftKings.
Hawks vs Celtics Injury Report
Almost every significant player on both sides have already been ruled out and the rest are more than likely to be in street clothes as well.
The Hawks will be down Trae Young (groin), Dejounte Murray (ankle), John Collins (back) and Clint Capela (calf). That’s 80% of the starting lineup sitting, and the fifth, De’Andre Hunter is dealing with a knee injury, but is listed as probable.
Top reserve Bogdan Bogdanovic is also sitting this one out with a knee injury.
For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown (finger) and Al Horford (back) has been ruled out, while fellow starters Jayson Tatum (hip), Marcus Smart (neck) and Robert Williams III (knee) are all questionable. Reserve Malcolm Brogdon, dealing with a back ailment, is also questionable.
Atlanta vs Boston Betting Analysis
The Hawks’ 3-game win streak came to a halt last game in a thrilling 136-131 OT loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Young finished with a game-high 27 points and a career-best 20 assists and four steals, though he did also have nine turnovers. In all, seven Hawks scored in double figures, as Atlanta shot 55.4% from the field in the loss.
Couple big buckets in a row by Saddiq pic.twitter.com/cA3BFTu4kc
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 8, 2023
Two players who should feature prominently Sunday both shined off the bench: Saddiq Bey scored 15 points and grabbed three boards in 27 minutes of work, while Oneyka Okongwu finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Boston has been steady to close out the home stretch, having won 11 of their last 15, including Friday’s 121-102 win over the Toronto Raptors, sweeping the 2-game set at TD.
Sam Hauser, slotted into the starting lineup for Brown, finished with a game-high 26 points, adding five rebounds and two assists. Tatum had 21 points and four assists in 20 minutes, while Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 22 points with five dimes.
SAM HAUSER DUNK ALERT pic.twitter.com/4xyYFOk1H3
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) April 8, 2023
Another reserve who should see plenty of time Sunday is stretch-5 Mike Muscala. He had 11 points and seven rebounds against the Raptors.
Despite falling off their torrid first-half pace and eventually seeing the Bucks overtake them for the top seed in the East, the Celtics are the best 2-way team going in the NBA. They’re the only team to rank top-4 in both scoring (117.9) and points allowed per game (111.4).
Hawks vs Celtics Betting Prediction
The Hawks will try to salvage at least one win in this 3-game regular season series, having dropped a 134-125 decision on March 11, and a 126-101 defeat on November 16.
They’re not exactly a great bet on the road, going 18-21 against the spread, a bottom-10 mark in the Association, though they are an impressive 14-11-1 ATS as a road ‘dog.
Boston is 5-1 ATS in their last six at home against teams with losing road records, and 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. Even without their entire starting five, the C’s non-starters have some continuity in the system.
Established regulars like Derrick White and Grant Williams should also be available to support Hauser and Pritchard and the rest of the bench.
Pick:
- Celtics -7 (-110); 1.5 units to win 1.36 units
- NBA Betting Record: 38-40-1 ATS, 2-2 ML, 8-0 o/u, 0-3 parlays; -13.45 units
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Having worked in and around sports since 1997, Eric is truly a knowledgeable expert. The two-time journalism grad specializes in all things NBA and NFL. From TSN.ca to CTV's Olympic Broadcast Consortium, Eric's work has appeared in local and national publications alike.
