NBA picks: Celtics vs. Hawks prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report

The Boston Celtics (46-21) will hope to get out of a recent slump when they visit the Atlanta Hawks (34-33) in a matchup of two Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls. The Celtics are coming off a win but are 5-5 in their last ten games in what is surely their most inconsistent stretch of the year. The Hawks enter this contest on a two-game winning streak.

The Celtics are intact on the injury front outside of Robert Williams, who is still sidelined with a hamstring issue. The Hawks have no injuries at the moment but could rest some key players on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Celtics are 5-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The total comes in at 236.5. Boston is -195 on the moneyline while Atlanta is +165.

Celtics vs. Hawks, 7:30 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Celtics -5

Boston's inconsistency is hard to ignore but the Celtics have been strong on the road. They are 17-15 ATS as the away team and have a convincing win over the Hawks this season. Atlanta is 14-17 ATS as the home team but has a 3-5-1 ATS mark coming into a game with no rest. With the Hawks potentially sitting some guys and Boston still in the hunt for the East's No. 1 overall seed, take the Celtics to win and cover Saturday.

Over/Under: Over 236.5

Over the last 10 games, the Hawks rank fourth in the NBA in scoring at 122.2 points per game. The Celtics are not far behind in 10th at 117.8 points per game. This calculus could change if Atlanta sits some stars but for now the over is still the move despite the Hawks being on the second night of a back-to-back.

  
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