Put your brooms away, folks. After two dominant Boston Celtics victories to open the series, the Atlanta Hawks took Game 3 to make this thing competitive. Now, with home-court advantage in Game 4 and an offense that showed signs of life on Friday, the Hawks have a chance to improbably tie things up and put the defending Eastern Conference champions on the defensive when this series returns to Boston on Tuesday.
So, how can Atlanta knot this matchup up at two wins apiece? Here’s what you need to tune into Game 4 on Sunday
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Atlanta Hawks
- Series: Game 4, Celtics lead 2-1
- Date: Sunday, April 23 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: State Farm Arena — Atlanta
- TV channel: TNT
- Odds: Celtics -6.5; O/U 232 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Celtics: The Celtics are among the best-shooting teams in the NBA, but they were extremely dependent on 3-pointers to survive in Game 3. Boston made 15 of them in the first half, but due to their defensive struggles, they still trailed at halftime. Atlanta largely controlled the second half as the Celtics made only six 3-pointers in the final 24 minutes. Once the jumpers stopped falling, Atlanta’s superiority near the basket was on full display. The Hawks pulled in 19 more rebounds in Game 3 than the Celtics, and they scored 14 more points in the paint. The Celtics need to diversify their offense if they plan to repeat as Eastern Conference champs, and Game 4 is the perfect opportunity to do so.
Hawks: Welcome to the series, Trae Young. The Hawks have missed you. Young shot 33% from the floor in his previous seven playoff games prior to Friday’s victory, but with the Celtics committing to drop-coverage in the fourth quarter, the former All-NBA guard destroyed Boston with an array of floaters and runners from the vacant mid-range area of the floor. Young scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to close out the Celtics, and now Boston will have to reimagine its defense it plans to prevent a similar fate on Sunday.
Prediction
The Hawks did well to avoid the sweep on Friday, but remember, we saw a similar scenario play out last season. Atlanta got blown out by Miami in the first two games of their first-round series, the Hawks held on a for a one-point Game 3 win, and then they lost the last two games to close out the series. Expect a similar outcome against a superior Celtics team. The pick: Celtics -6.5
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