Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks Picks, Predictions, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

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The opening round of the NBA Playoffs resumes on Sunday night with a pivotal Game 4 showdown in the Eastern Conference between the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. Coverage begins from State Farm Arena in Atlanta at 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT.

BOSTON CELTICS vs. ATLANTA HAWKS BETTING PREDICTION

The Celtics casually breezed through the first two matchups of this series by dominating the defensive end of their homefloor, as the C’s held Atlanta to just 102.5 PPG on 41% from the field  and 27% from long range in back-to-back double-digit home victories to open the set, resulting in Boston getting tagged as a massive -7000 favorite to win the series ahead of Game 3.

In Game 3, however, the dominance of the Celtics’ offense effortlessly continued, as they scored 122 points on 49% from the floor and 44% from downtown in their most recent affair, but it still wasn’t enough to fend off the Hawks’ red-hot lineup in desperation mode, as they erupted for 130 points on 56% shooting and 44% from three-point territory on the way to a much-needed win in their home opener of the series.

Take nothing away from the impressive bounce back performance that Atlanta put forth in Game 3, the Hawks desperately needed a win, and they earned it fair and square; however, even the hometown fans at State Farm Arena on Friday night were likely surprised by the end result, given the fact that Atlanta posted relatively mediocre records of 24-17 SU and 18-23 ATS at home this season, and their shooting struggles in Games 1 and 2 of this series seemed somewhat irredeemable.

When it rains it pours, though, and make no mistake about it, when the Hawks heat up and all the shots are falling for them, they’re capable of beating any team on any given night, ranked 3rd in scoring and 7th in defensive rating, which is exactly what we saw in Game 3; but as long as Trae Young remains the focal point of this squad, the Hawks will always have a gaping hole in their defensive scheme that’s almost impossible to compensate for, highlighted by Atlanta also ranking 22nd in defensive rating.

While on the other hand, Boston tends to be the direct antithesis to Atlanta’s extreme level of imbalance. The Celtics are the only team in the NBA that ranks Top 3 in both offensive and defensive rating (118 ORtg, 112 DRtg), and the differential in their home vs. away splits is relatively minute, as Boston boasts the second-best road record in the entire league at 25-16, while ranking Top 5 in both offensive and defensive rating in that department as well (116 ORtg, 112 DRtg).  

Push comes to shove, though, if Boston was going to show some regression on the road in this series, you’d expect it to show up in their shooting numbers; but on the contrary, the Celtics continued to have their way with Atlanta’s 22nd ranked defense in Game 3, and instead, the Hawks managed to escape with a victory by a posting a monster offensive rating of 126.9 in the event.

If the Hawks shoot 56% from the field and 44% from three-point range again in Game 4, this series will likely head back to Boston tied 2-2; however, surrendering such a high level of efficiency on defense is very out of character for this Celtics’ squad, and I expect to see them bounce back with a suffocating defensive performance on Sunday night.

Score Prediction: Celtics 118, Hawks 106
Best Bet: Celtics -6 (-110)

BOSTON CELTICS vs. ATLANTA HAWKS BETTING ODDS

BOSTON CELTICS vs. ATLANTA HAWKS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Sunday, April 23, 2023
Venue: State Farm Arena
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
TV-Time: TNT, 7:00 p.m. ET
Matchup
Expert Picks

NBA Finals Betting Odds

BOSTON CELTICS vs. ATLANTA HAWKS BETTING STATS

Boston Celtics
SU: 59-26
ATS: 47-37-1
O/U: 44-40-1
PPG: 117.9
OPPG: 111.4

Atlanta Hawks
SU: 43-43
ATS: 37-48
O/U: 47-37-1
PPG: 118.4
OPPG: 118.1

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

Updated on 06/19/2025

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BOSTON CELTICS vs. ATLANTA HAWKS BETTING TRENDS

• The Celtics are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games.
• The Celtics are 5-1 SU in their last six games.
• The Hawks are 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games.
• The total has gone OVER in six of Atlanta's last nine games.
• The Hawks are 2-4 SU in their last six games.
• The total has gone UNDER in seven of Atlanta's last ten matchups against Boston.
• The total has gone OVER in four of Atlanta's last five home games.
• The Celtics are 7-1 ATS in their last eight matchups against Atlanta.
• The Celtics are 7-1 SU in their last eight matchups against Atlanta.
• The total has gone OVER in six of Boston's last seven road games.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson