Following a split outcome from their double-game travel to Cleveland, Boston is set to close their on-road stretch with a visit to Rogers Arena in Atlanta, where their are to face the Hawks on Wednesday, before going back to home Boston.
We can hardly say that the trip to Cleveland was a success – losing the first game last Saturday by just two points stung enough for the Celtics to come out strong and get a “W” from the second on Monday. But a much tougher stretch is ahead and the overall performance against the Cavaliers left a lot to be desired from Udoka’s team. Jaylen Brown is still sidelined with hamstring injury, and Schroder’s performances have been a real roller coaster, although Jayson Tatum has been a bright spot for the team in the last few games. To pile up on Udoka’s game prep, Williams III is still listed as day-to-day and questionable against the Hawks with knee issues. The Celtics are now at #9 in the East with a .500 record.
Meanwhile Atlanta is on a home-game winning streak, beating both the Bucks and Magic quite comfortably at home. Although the Hawks are further down the Eastern Conference rankings at #12 and with a 6-9 record, the last two games showed everyone that Atlanta is a force to content with at home. Bogdanovic remains on the injury list and appears he might miss the game against Boston, bout otherwise the bench remains deep in Atlanta.
The sportsbooks tend to agree with this overall assessment of the Celtics – Hawks game tonight and have made Atlanta a solid favorite. The oddsmakers have the Hawks -175 on the line while the Celtics will pay out on underdog +150 odds to deliver an upset at Rogers Arena this Wednesday. The point spread on the NBA game is at -4 points chalk the Hawks and considering the offensive deficiencies at Boston, the total on the game is currently set at just 214 points, both over and under paying on -110.
