Celtics vs Hawks Betting Odds – Atlanta will sweep series against Boston

The Super Bowl betting line is a hot topic right now but there is another flame of interest burning in the NBA right now. The race between the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic, for second spot in the Eastern Conference, is heating up and this game will go a long way to decide placements heading into the All Star break.

The Storyline - Celtics vs Hawks betting odds breakdown 
Winners of eight in their last eleven games, the Atlanta Hawks are on a tear. The Boston Celtics are banged up, on the second game of a back-to-back and playing some of their worst basketball. While Kevin Garnett is back after missing 10 games, he is his usual defensive self. In his first two games back he had a total of six rebounds, two blocks and zero steals. Not numbers the Celtics want to see, especially when they are having problems putting up points at the other end. Atlanta trails Boston by mere percentage points and beat the Celtics by an average of eight points in the three meetings this season.

Offensive Matchups – Celtics vs Hawks betting odds breakdown 
The Celtics are not usually a high scoring team due to their slowed down, half court style offence and gruelling defence. Over the past five games however, they are scoring even fewer than normal being held to just 90.4 points per game. Paul Pierce, as usual, is leading the team scoring just under 19 a game as the team spreads the scoring around with six players averaging double figures.

Atlanta has been solid offensively all year long averaging almost 103 per game. Led by Joe Johnson, this team has the athleticism to score quickly off turnovers while still having the skill to score in the half court. Jamal Crawford was a great off season pickup and just might be heading towards a Sixth Man of the Year award as he is scoring 17 a game off the bench.

Betting Edge: Hawks

Defensive Matchups – Celtics vs Hawks betting odds breakdown 
Even without Garnett playing at his best, Boston is one of the top defences in the league and holds teams to under 94 points. Second in steals, forced turnovers and points against, this team gets after it on defence.

Atlanta, while not at Boston’s level, is a solid defensive team that held the Celtics to an average of 89 points in their previous meetings this season. The Hawks are a very athletic team that is able to alter shots and bring down a lot of rebounds as a team. Forward Josh Smith is the team leader at the defensive end and is the only player in the league to average 8.5 boards, 1.5 steals and over 2 blocks per game.

Betting Edge: Celtics

Notable Injuries – Celtics vs Hawks betting odds breakdown
While Marquis Daniels is still out until after the All Star break, it is the banged up frontcourt that will cause the Celtics problems. Garnett (knee), Rasheed Wallace (groin) and Brian Scalabrine (shoulder) are all nursing injuries and playing against Dwight Howard the night before this game probably will not have made them any healthier.

Atlanta is healthy and coming off a day of rest, both good signs.
 
Betting Edge: Hawks

Betting Prediction – Celtics vs Hawks betting odds breakdown 
Atlanta has had the Celtics number this season and should roll to the series sweep. The average line on the other three games was Atlanta by eight and a total of 186.3. Boston is banged up, on the road coming out of a game at Orlando and is just 4-5 against playoff teams since New Years. The experts know that this points to more scoring by Atlanta and an easy victory.  

Pick: Hawks