The Atlanta Hawks are back in the series as they host the Boston Celtics for Game 4 on Sunday. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Celtics-Hawks Game 4 prediction and pick.
The Celtics are likely going to win this series and many know that. Sweeping an opponent is never easy, yet this squad was the only one to do so in last year's postseason when they swept the Brooklyn Nets. Boston entered up 2-0 for Game 3 in Atlanta and Trae Young and the Hawks came to play. The Celtics scored 122 points, which for them, is usually enough to get the job done.
The Hawks' heels were against the wall. Friday night was a must-win for the Hawks and they certainly showed up. Young put on his best performance in quite some time finishing with 32 points and quite frankly, made the elite Celtics' defense look pretty bad. Atlanta shot 56% as a team and if they can keep that up might have a chance to even this series.
Here are the Celtics-Hawks Game 4 NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Playoffs Odds: Celtics-Hawks Game 4 Odds
Boston Celtics: -6 (-110)
Atlanta Hawks: +6 (-110)
Over: 232 (-108)
Under: 232 (-112)
How To Watch Celtics vs. Hawks Game 4
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT App
Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
The Celtics won both the first two games by 13 each time. They were at home in Boston but they established their dominance early on in the series. The Hawks made their adjustments and now the Celtics will likely make theirs. The first half of Game 4 will be a big one. Atlanta scored a franchise playoff record by ending with 74 points in the first half Friday night. The defense was lackluster, but you have to give credit where it's due as the Hawks were making their shots. The key will be to stay out of foul trouble and turn up the volume on the defensive end Boston should retake control.
Jaylen Brown was in foul trouble early in Game 3. He didn't get the chance to really get into a rhythm in his hometown. Marcus Smart stepped up and scored 24 while draining five shots from deep. Jayson Tatum ended with 29 points but did not have his best game out there. Despite all that, as a team, the Celtics finished with 21 three's made. Grant Williams finished 4-4, Malcolm Brogdon 3-6, and Derrick White 3-4. Tatum and Smart combined for nine but also missed 14. It seems as if the three-point shot will be how the Celtics will try and win this series as they seem to be trying to save their physicality for Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread
It's not going to be easy to replicate their performance from Game 3, especially with how elite the Celtics' defense is. However, this squad is stacked with shooters and playmakers who really shined last game. The bench play really came alive in the second quarter of Game 3. They scored 41 points as a team and players like Seddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson, and Bogdan Bogdanovic couldn't miss from deep. All three combined to go 8-10 from beyond the arc. There was a point in the game where they left Young on the bench for about 10 minutes because of how well the bench played. If they step up again, then the Hawks will certainly cover this spread.
Things are looking bright for the Hawks right now after a huge win to save their season. However, the Celtics know how to win on the road. They finished the regular season going 25-16 away from TD Garden while leading the NBA in point-differential at +6.5. The Hawks must be perfect again to cover this spread. In their last 10 games, the Hawks are allowing 120.2 points per game. If they can improve their defense even just a little bit then the Hawks might shock the Celtics and steal Game 4.
Final Celtics-Hawks Game 4 Prediction & Pick
The Hawks are going to have to prove they are for real by playing out of their minds again in Game 4 if they want to cover this spread. However, I believe Jaylen Brown will have a huge bounceback game in his hometown and the Celtics will retake control with a big win on the road. I also love the over at 232 as they combined for over 250 in the last contest.
Final Celtics-Hawks Game 4 Prediction & Pick: Celtics -6 (-110); Over 232 (-108)
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