Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks Game 3 Prediction, NBA Odds
Boston is up 2-0 in the series and are 5-point favourites on the NBA odds to take a 3-0 lead.
Celtics vs. Hawks NBA Playoffs Betting Odds
With Boston up 2-0, the Celtics are -5000 to win the series and the Hawks +1075. On the series handicap, Boston at -2.5 games is -417 and Atlanta +2.5 is +283. The series correct score after Game 4 is Boston up 3-1 at +102. The favoured exact series result is a Boston sweep at +118, while Atlanta winning the next four is +4701. The over-under for total games is 5.5, with the under a -500 favourite. That it finishes in four games is +121 and five +140.
The Celtics were 25-16 on the road during the regular season and the Hawks 24-17 at home. However, Boston won both in Atlanta in blowout fashion. The Hawks were 1-1 at home in the first round of the 2022 playoffs on the way to losing in five to Miami.
Boston Celtics
For the second game in a row, Coach Joe Mazzulla opted to start guard Derrick White over centre Robert Williams and it worked well again as White had 26 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in the 119-106 Game 2 win, and Williams had eight points, five rebounds and two blocks in 23 minutes off the bench. White became second guard in Celtics history to record at least 25 points and three blocks in a playoff game, joining Reggie Lewis. The Celtics are 27-6 this season (including playoffs) when White scores at least 15 points. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 29 and 10 rebounds in Game 2, his 22nd career postseason double-double, which ranks 13th in Celtics history. Boston’s top two scorers (Tatum and White) combined to shoot 23-for-38, while Atlanta’s top two scorers (Dejounte Murray and Trae Young) combined to shoot 20-for-46. One team can play defence and one can’t.
Atlanta Hawks
After losing all three regular-season games and the first two of this series by double digits each, it’s now pretty clear that the Hawks just don’t match up well with Boston. Trae Young is only 14-for-40 and 3-for-13 from deep in the first two of this series. Dejounte Murray has been easily the best player and had 29 points, six assists, six rebounds and four steals in the 119-106 Game 2 loss, similar to his Game 1 numbers. He is the first player in franchise playoff history to have back-to-back games of at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists with three-or-more steals. It’s Atlanta’s first home game since April 7. The Hawks are 6-2 in their last eight at home, averaging 129.4 points.
BOS
ATL