Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 3/11/2023

by Chuck Sommers

Saturday, Mar 11, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Where to watch: BSSE-ATL, NBC Sports Boston

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Celtics -4.5
BetMGM: Celtics -4.5
Caesars: Celtics -4.5

Season record
Celtics: 46-21
Hawks: 34-33

The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting!

Celtics - Hawks preview, prediction and analysis


The Boston Celtics will try to capitalize on the Atlanta Hawks playing the second night of a back-to-back when Boston visits Atlanta on Saturday.
 
The Celtics are coming off a 115-93 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday that ended a three-game losing streak against teams that are chasing them in the standings: Brooklyn, New York and Cleveland. Winning against the shorthanded Blazers was a good start.
 
Led by Jayson Tatum’s 30 points, all five starters scored in double figures for Boston. Derrick White had 21, and Al Horford had 17. It was the 36th time this year that Tatum broke 30 points in a game.
 
“Just getting out of that losing streak is good for our group," Horford said. "I guess you could say it's a breath of fresh air."
 
Boston has covered the last two games after going 1-5 against the spread in the previous six. Being a top team in the East, there are going to come times that will not turn out to the best result on the books. 
 
The Hawks are playing their second game in 24 hours after completing an impressive two-game road sweep of the Washington Wizards on Friday in DC. Two days after winning by two, the Hawks completed the sweep with a 114-107 win over the Wizards.
 
Trae Young finished with a game-high 28 points and Dejounte Murray had 16 points and seven assists for the Hawks, who won the game despite shooting just 44.2 percent from the floor.
 
“It's the end of the year, and teams are supposed to be hitting their strides and connecting and clicking," Young said. “I think we're just trying to do that on both ends and not just one end. We've just got to keep it going. Took care of our two games here.”
 
Atlanta is going for its third straight win and will try to get some momentum on the books, as well. They’ve alternated ATS wins and losses in the last five. Maybe they get something going here, but I find it unlikely.
 
Prediction
 
This has all the makings of a cake walk for the Celtics. Who does Atlanta have to stop that duo especially with them playing twice in 24 hours? Celtics 117, Hawks 104

Projected starting lineup

Celtics:
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Mike Muscala

Hawks:
PG: Trae Young
SG: Dejounte Murray
SF: De'Andre Hunter
PF: John Collins
C: Clint Capela

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.

Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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