Hawks vs Celtics Pick – NBA Predictions & Odds 4/27/23

The Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks meet Thursday in Game 6 of the NBA East First Round Playoffs at the State Farm Arena. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

The Boston Celtics are averaging 119.8 points on 51.5 percent shooting and allowing 115 points on 45.5 percent shooting. Jayson Tatum is averaging 26.6 points and 9.2 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown is averaging 25.6 points and 3.2 assists. Derrick White is the third double-digit scorer and Marcus Smart is grabbing 4.4 rebounds. The Boston Celtics are shooting 40.1 percent from beyond the arc and 75.6 percent from the free throw line. The Boston Celtics are allowing 36.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 44.6 rebounds per game.

The Atlanta Hawks are averaging 115 points on 45.5 percent shooting and allowing 119.8 points on 51.5 percent shooting. Trae Young is averaging 29 points and 3.8 rebounds, while Dejounte Murray is averaging 25.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. De’Andre Hunter is the third double-digit scorer, and Bogdan Bogdanovic is grabbing 3.2 rebounds. The Atlanta Hawks are shooting 36.5 percent from beyond the arc and 82.5 percent from the free throw line. The Atlanta Hawks are allowing 40.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 43.6 rebounds per game.

The Celtics are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 Conference Quarterfinals games and 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games overall. The Hawks are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The over is 5-2 in Celtics last 7 overall. The over is 7-2-1 in Hawks last 10 overall. The Celtics are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings.

I’m still concerned about the Atlanta Hawks and their inability to play defense, and the Celtics are the better, more balanced team that probably feels it lost game 5 more than the Hawks win. The Celtics should be eager to get a bad taste out of their mouth. However, the Hawks have new life after their improbable game 5 victory, they return home where they play their best ball and Dejounte Murray is back in the mix. There’s momentum on the Hawks side, and we can’t ignore they lose as underdogs by an average of just 2.1 points. I’ll take a shot with the Hawks and the free buckets.