The Atlanta Hawks head to the TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The game begins at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Apr. 28 and can be seen on CNE, FxS, TNT and C+D.
The Celtics are hoping for a better outcome after their 110-83 loss to the Hawks on Tuesday. Evan Turner was the team’s leading scorer, contributing 15 points.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Boston ranks fifth in the league, allowing just 101.3 points per 100 possessions, while Atlanta is second (99.1). Furthermore, the defense of the Hawks should have an advantage in terms of effective field goal percentage. They’re second in the league in forcing misses (opponents’ effective field goal percentage of 47.7%), while the offense of the Celtics ranks 27th in effective field goal percentage (48.6%).
The Celtics have gone 50-37 Straight Up (SU) and 44-41-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 50-37 SU and 44-41-2 ATS against teams from the Eastern Conference. Boston’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the league. The Celtics allow a .333 opponent three-point field goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the league. Something to watch out for is if Boston can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 18.5 points off turnovers per game.
On the other side, the Hawks head into the game with records of 43-42-2 ATS and 51-36 SU. Atlanta has records of 51-36 SU and 43-42-2 ATS against the East. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Hawks, who are the top team in the league in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .429. Atlanta is the fourth-best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 18.3 per game. Atlanta may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Celtics averaging 22.3 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
Atlanta beat Boston in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 6-4. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5.
Predictions: SU Winner – Atl
Notes
“Boston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston’s last 6 games “.
“Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“Boston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Boston’s last 15 games at home”.
“Boston is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Atlanta”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 5 games when playing Atlanta”.
“Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta”.
“Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta”.
The Boston Celtics are among the highest-scoring squads, earning an average of 105.1 points per game (ranked fifth), while the Atlanta Hawks are in the top half of NBA teams in points allowed with 98.9 (ranked sixth).
Boston and Atlanta are well matched, ranking sixth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Boston scores an average of 106.1 points per home game, while Atlanta gives up 101.1 points per away game on average.
In its last game, Atlanta won by a 27-point margin. Boston is 10-6 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Atlanta has a 12-5 record in blowouts.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Atlanta Hawks are a stellar 35-9. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Boston Celtics have a subpar record of 7-17.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Hawks are just 16-27 this season. Boston is a winning 43-20 when registering triple digits.
The Hawks have an offensive rating of 103.1 (ranked 21st), while the Celtics rank fifth for their defensive rating of 101.3.
Boston has an average field goal percentage of 43.7%. Atlanta is a poor 17-26 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Atlanta Hawks rank lower for their field goal percentage (12th) than their effective field goal percentage (sixth), while the Boston Celtics rank the same for both metrics (27th).
The Atlanta Hawks, ranked second in the NBA, average 25.4 assists per game. The Boston Celtics make 24.0 assists (ranked sixth).
The Boston Celtics average 4.4 blocks per game for a rank of 21st. The Atlanta Hawks rank higher (third), earning 6.0 blocks each contest.
Boston ranks among the best in the league in offensive rebounding at fourth, while Atlanta is a top-10 team in defensive rebounding (ranked seventh).
The Atlanta Hawks rank second in steals, with an average of 9.1 per game. When the Boston Celtics allow at least 9 steals, they have a solid 22-14 record.
