NBA Cup Preview: Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics
The Atlanta Hawks will visit the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, the first game in both teams’ NBA Cup group stage. Both teams are part of the East Group C for the NBA Cup, alongside other teams including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, and Washington Wizards.
The grouping process saw all 30 teams sorted into six groups of five within their respective conferences.
Boston Celtics Preview
The Celtics are in high spirits and looking to score a hat-trick of wins. Boston is 9-2 on the season SU and come into this game with a record of 6-5 ATS.
The Celtics will be riding a wave of momentum after an impressive comeback against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, winning 113-107 despite an initial 17-point deficit. Jayson Tatum played a crucial role in the victory with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists.
The Celtics came alive in the second half with an unbeaten 12-0 run, restricting the Bucks to a mere 38 points in the last two quarters.
The Celtics also saw the return of Jaylen Brown from a hip flexor strain, which kept him out of the game for four matches. Brown scored 14 points on a 4 of 13 shooting performance in 37 minutes, supported by five rebounds and four assists.
Atlanta Hawks Preview
The Hawks, have not faired well this season. They are 4-7 SU and have cost their backing money, as they’ve gone just 3-8 on the season ATS.
The Hawks are entering the game on the back of a 125-113 home loss against the Bulls that followed a 122-121 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Pistons on the road.
The Bulls managed to outshine the Hawks 65-43 in the second half, with a dominant 35-15 performance in the fourth quarter.
Key players for the Hawks include Clint Capela, who scored 20 points and claimed nine rebounds, as well as Jalen Johnson, who also put up 20 points in a recent game.
Unfortunately, the Hawks have been on a losing streak, with seven losses in the last nine games since a promising 2-0 start.
Game Prediction
There is no question who is the better team here, its Boston, but with the line currently set by the fine folks at MyBookie, at Boston -14.5, were just not comfy laying that sort of line in a in-season tournament.
The better option for us is to look for value and we find that on the total here. We like the under. MyBookie has it set at 234.5 points and truth be told, Boston’s going to restrict what Atlanta does on the court. Therefore, we will take the under here!