Game two of an Eastern Conference First Round series is set for Tuesday night when the Atlanta Hawks visit the Boston Celtics. This series got started on a bad note for Atlanta, but if they can steal game two they will pretend like that first game never happened. Below is my NBA pick for the Hawks vs Celtics.
Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics Betting Pick
The Pick: Boston Celtics -10
This game will be played at TD Garden at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
Why Bet the Boston Celtics:
✅ Boston has been great in recent games having covered the spread in five straight games.
✅ The Celtics have been dominant at home having win eight straight games at TD Garden.
✅ Atlanta has not been good against the spread having covered just three of their last 10 games played.
Atlanta Hawks Buried the Game Tape
It was not a fun return to playoff basketball for the Atlanta Hawks as they went down big quick in game one and were never competitive. The Hawks trailed by 30 points at the half and the Celtics were able to relax the final 24 minutes to get the game one win. Home teams are supposed to win their games, so the Hawks won’t think about this result for long.
Dejounte Murray led Atlanta with 24 points and eight rebounds in the game one loss. Trae Young dished out a team high eight assists, but he scored just 16 points on 5-18 shooting. Atlanta will need Trae to average 30 points this series if they have any chance of winning.
The Boston Celtics are Feeling Good
Boston will be flying high after that game one win, but they know there are 15 wins left to get to their ultimate goal. The Celtics are on a collision course with the Philadelphia 76ers and finishing this series quickly will go a long way in that second round series. Taking care of business at home is step one of that process.
Jaylen Brown went off in game one as he led the Celtics with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Jayson Tatum also had himself a day as he had 25 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Derrick White dished out a team high seven assists on the day.
