Hawks-Celtics prediction: Picks, odds, spread for Game 1 of first round of NBA Playoffs

The Boston Celtics host the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET from TD Garden in Boston. The Celtics enter as the 2-seed. The Hawks had to beat the Miami Heat to secure the 7-seed in the postseason during the play-in tournament. Here we'll go over the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks for Game 1.

Hawks vs. Celtics, 3:30 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Celtics -9.5

Boston should roll through this series with ease. The Celtics beat the Hawks 120-114 at the end of the regular season in a war of the benches. Boston's depth (or lack there of) won't matter much in the postseason. With the rotations tight, this is where Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the back court can take over. Boston should be able to bottle up Trae Young and prevent any type of magic. As long as Young is contained, the Hawks shouldn't really stand a chance here.

Over/Under: Over 231

Sure, it's the playoffs. Teams are going to play defense more often. If this game is a blowout by halftime, that likely won't be the case. Atlanta will just regroup and look to steal Game 2 if the effort isn't there. Assuming the Celtics are going to roll and win by double-digits, its fair to say we'll see a lot of garbage time scoring and soft possessions, meaning more scoring. Back in March, these two teams played to a 134-125, which isn't out of the question today.

  
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