Thursday, April 28, 2016

TD Garden

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The Atlanta Hawks travel to TD Garden to play the Boston Celtics on Thursday, April 28, 2016. The Hawks lead the series 3-2. The opening line for this game has Atlanta as 5.5 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 204.

The Hawks had a regular season record of 48-34 and a road record of 21-20. They were 2nd in the Southeast Division. They had a point differential of 3.6 as they averaged 102.8 points per game while giving up 99.2 per contest. Atlanta was 8-8 against division opponents and they had a conference record of 29-23. The Celtics had a regular season record of 48-34 and a home record of 28-13. They were 2nd in the Atlantic Division. They averaged 105.7 points per game and surrendered 102.5, good for a point differential of 3.2. Boston had a division record of 10-6 and a conference record of 31-21.

Jeff Teague comes into this contest after averaging 15.7 points per game while playing 28.5 minutes per night this season for the Hawks. He pulled down 2.7 rebounds per game and dished out 5.9 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage was 44% while his free throw percentage was at 84%. Paul Millsap averaged 17.1 points per game in 32.7 minutes per contest this season. He averaged 3.3 assists per contest and 9 rebounds per game for Atlanta. His field goal percentage was 47% for the year while his free throw percentage was 76%.

Isaiah Thomas averaged 22.2 points per game while playing 32.2 minutes per contest this year for the Celtics. He grabbed 3 rebounds per game and had 6.2 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage was 43% and his free throw percentage was at 87%. Jae Crowder averaged 14.2 points per game this season and he saw the court an average of 31.6 minutes per contest. He also averaged 5.1 rebounds per contest and 1.8 assists per game. His field goal percentage was 44% and his free throw percentage was 82%.

Atlanta averaged 102.7 points per contest this season which ranked them 13th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin was 3.7 and their shooting percentage was 46% as a team which had them ranked 12th. Behind the arc they shot 35% which was good for 18th in the league. They averaged 49.7 rebounds per game and 25.4 assists per game which ranked them 27th and 2nd in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they ranked 21st with 14.9 per game. The Hawks allowed 98.9 points per game to their opponents which ranked them 6th in the league. They also allowed a 43% shooting percentage and a 33% average from behind the arc ranking them 1st and 5th in those defensive categories. Opponents averaged 55.4 rebounds a game which ranked 27th and they gave up 22 assists per contest which put them in 15th place in the league. They forced 16.1 turnovers per game which ranked them 5th in the league.

Boston averaged 105.1 points per game this year which ranked them 5th in the league. Their average scoring margin was 2.7 and their shooting percentage was 44% as a team which had them sitting in the 27th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shot 33% which was good for 28th in the NBA. They averaged 53.8 rebounds per game and 24 assists per contest which ranked them 5th and 6th respectively. In the turnover department the Celtics ranked 12th with 13.8 per game. The Celtics allowed 102.4 points per game to their opponents which ranked them 13th in the league. They also allowed a 44% shooting percentage and a 33% average from behind the arc ranking them 7th and 4th in those defensive statistics. Opponents averaged 55.5 rebounds a game which ranked 28th and they gave up 21 assists per contest which put them in 6th place in the league. The Celtics forced 16.3 turnovers per game which ranked them 2nd in the NBA.

The Hawks averaged 102 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 102.7 ppg in their past 3 contests. They had an average scoring differential of 0.9 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is 3.3 per contest. The Hawks had an offensive rating of 105.1 and a defensive rating of 101.4. In terms of pace they averaged 97.1 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage was 52%. As a team they had a true shooting percentage of 55% and they shot 3 pointers on 34% of their shots. Atlanta turned the ball over an average of 13.8 times per 100 possessions and they forced 14.4 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season was 48%.

The Celtics scored 106.1 ppg at home and they have averaged 99.3 points per contest in their last 3 games. They have an average scoring differential of -3.3 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they had a difference of 5.7 points per game. The Celtics rating on offense was 106.8 and they had a defensive rating of 103.6. They had 98.5 possessions per 48 minutes and they had an effective field goal percentage of 49%. As a unit they had a true shooting percentage of 53% and they attempted 3 pointers on 29% of their shot attempts. Boston turned the ball over on 12.1 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents averaged 14.6 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year was 49%.

Atlanta Hawks Betting Trends

The Atlanta Hawks were 41-39-2 against the spread

The Atlanta Hawks were 38-43-1 against the over/under

Boston Celtics Betting Trends

The Boston Celtics were 41-39-2 against the spread

The Boston Celtics were 39-42-1 against the over/under

Atlanta Hawks Injuries

02/17/16 F Tiago Splitter Hip out for season

Boston Celtics Injuries

04/26/16 PG Isaiah Thomas Ankle left last game, probable Thursday vs. Atlanta
04/17/16 PG Avery Bradley Hamstring out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take Atlanta

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