Hawks vs Celtics Odds, Picks and Player Props

• Super Bowl Sunday means a rare quiet day in the NBA, but there’s plenty of angles to consider with the Hawks and Celtics
• Boston is favored by 6.5 points for the matchup
• Read below for the latest Hawks vs Celtics odds and our pick

The Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks matchup at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon with the hosts favored by 6.5. Boston comes into this game riding a seven-game winning run — their longest of the season. Atlanta has lost four of its last six, leaving them three games below .500 and with the 16th-best net rating in the NBA.

This is the third of four meetings between these teams this season. Atlanta got the better of Boston in the last two after going 2-1 in the season series in 2020-21. These are two teams harboring top six ambitions, albeit in an Eastern Conference with little to no margin for error. Boston is one back from Toronto in the loss column, while Atlanta has already fallen to five behind the Raps.

Hawks vs Celtics Odds

Odds as of Feb 13 at FanDuel.

While intriguing longshots in preseason in the NBA MVP odds, Trae Young and Jayson Tatum have never been relevant in the MVP race this term. It might be too late to turn that around, but this is a game for two All-NBA talents to really put on a show.

Injury News

Reacquired Daniel Theis is listed as day-to-day for Sunday’s game. Boston isn’t in a rush to throw Theis into action given the play of Al Horford, Robert Williams and Grant Williams. They’ve been sharing the frontcourt duties throughout the season. Theis’ availability could be relevant should any of the aforementioned trio fall into foul trouble.

Atlanta is without John Collins due to a heel injury, with the stretch four not expected to play until after the All-Star break. What could be a backcourt shortage looks unlikely to be a real problem for Nate McMillan. Trae Young and Delon Wright both listed as probable.

It will be interesting to see how Ime Udoka utilizes Derrick White after a solid debut a couple of days ago. The deadline arrival played 25 minutes against the Nuggets, putting up 15, six and two.

Boston’s Stifling Defense

Boston owns a barely conceivable defensive rating of 94.8 over the last 10 games. This is a figure which doesn’t necessarily represent the direct quality of their defense. No other team has been below 105. There has been good fortune from poor opponent shooting, which is obviously a factor with such great defensive numbers. But this is also a team set up to be elite on that end of the floor.

While there may be some issues on offense, a lineup featuring White and Marcus Smart in the backcourt is going to be a menace for opponents. No one can stop Young, but if a team can slow the All-Star guard down, it’s this Boston group. They possess the length, defensive IQ and hustle.

Over the same 10-game span, Atlanta is 11th in offense. This is an imbalanced team, ranking second in offensive rating and 28th in defensive rating for the season. Coming up against a great defense is a problem for Young and co. Anything that slows their offensive game down represents a real problem.

Back the Cs

We’re happy to back the Celtics to continue their winning run here. Their two stars seem to have embraced a brand of relatively selfless basketball of late. The acquisition of White is a really good fit for what Udoka is trying to achieve. He’s a particularly relevant piece in games like this, and should prove a troubling matchup for Young.

The Celtics have a 10-16 record against the spread at home. But three of their last four wins have come by seven or more points. Atlanta has a tendency to lose heavily too. Their last three losses all being by more than this spread — take the Cs to cover.

Pick: Celtics -6.5 (-110).