Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks: NBA Picks & Predictions
Written March 27, 2009 by Anthony Moretti
The Boston Celtics play the Atlanta Hawks tonight in Atlanta at 7:30 PM EST. Both teams have now clinched playoff positions, but the Hawks will be trying to avoid their sixth straight loss to the Celtics tonight at Philips Arena. Boston has posted a 2-0 record against the Hawks this year, most recently defeating the Hawks in Atlanta on December 17th by a final of 88-85. In addition to winng the last five meetings, the Celtics have won 11 of the last 17 straight up against the Hawks. The NBA odds for Friday show the Celtics as one point favorties over the Hawks with the total set at 183.5 points.
Boston has already clinched a playoff spot and the Atlantic Division Championship. The Celtics come into Atlanta after their four game winning streak was stopped at Orlando against the Magic on Wednesday. The game was a crucial one for both teams as the Magic’s win moved them into a tie for the second best record in the East, with both teams trailing the Cleveland Cavaliers at this point in the season. It should be said, however, that Kevin Garnett, a key component to Boston’s success, is still working his way back from a knee injury that has had him on the bench for almost a month. Garnett played just 17 minutes, scoring 4 points and grabbing 8 rebounds, a nice contribution, but it’s nowhere near the number of minutes that they need to have him on the court to make another run at the NBA Championship. Boston will work him back slowly and make sure he is at full strength, right now that is much more important than grabbing a higher seed in the playoffs. In an injury note for Boston, Rajon Rando is listed a probable for Friday’s game as he sprained his ankle in Wednesday’s battle with Orlando. The Celtics have shown an ability to win consistently on the road this year, earning a 25-13 record as the visitor on the season, but note that Boston is just 4-11 against the spread in their last 15 games overall.
The Hawks are in the middle of a four game homestand, slipping to 1-1 in the first two games of the stand with a ten point loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The loss ended an eight-game home winning streak for Atlanta, and they’ll have the difficult task of starting up a new streak against the NBA’s defending champs. The Hawks own an impressive 28-8 record as the host this season, but play Boston tonight, and the West-leading Lakers on Sunday. The good news for the Hawks is that the home team in this series has gone 8-1 against the spread in the previous 9 meetings, and if they cover the 1 point spread they’ll have a good chance of winning the game outright as well. Atlanta has been a money machine of late at Philips Arena, covering the points in 10 of their last 12 home games.
Predicted Score: Atlanta Hawks 99, Boston Celtics 91
Play on: Atlanta Hawks +1, Celtics/Hawks OVER 183.5
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One Response to “Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks: NBA Picks & Predictions”
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I think you have the side to total correct there. If the the Hawks cover the total goes OVER, but If Boston covers, more than likely it goes UNDER. I’ll be on both the Hawks and the OVER. The familiarity between these two teams added to a loaded house should give the edge to the home team tonight. As a rule I search for home teams to cover on Friday nights. The houses are always more raucous on Fridays.
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