Saturday, April 16, 2016

Philips Arena

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The Boston Celtics travel to Philips Arena to play the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, April 16, 2016 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference playoff series. The opening line for this game has Atlanta as 4 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 207.

The Celtics come into this game with an overall record of 48-34 and a road record of 20-21. They are 2nd in the Atlantic Division. They currently have a point differential of 3.2 as they are averaging 105.7 points per game while giving up 102.5 per contest. Boston is 10-6 against division opponents and they have a conference record of 31-21. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games. The Hawks have an overall record of 48-34 and a home record of 27-14. They currently are 2nd in the Southeast Division. They are averaging 102.8 points per game and surrendering 99.2, good for a point differential of 3.6. Atlanta has a division record of 8-8 and a conference record of 29-23. In their last 10 games they are 6-4.

Isaiah Thomas comes into this contest averaging 22.2 points per game while playing 32.2 minutes per night so far this season for the Celtics. He pulls down 3 rebounds per game and dishes out 6.2 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 43% while his free throw percentage is currently at 87%. Avery Bradley averages 15.2 points per game in 33.4 minutes per contest this season. He averages 2.1 assists per contest and 2.9 rebounds per game for Boston. His field goal percentage is 45% for the year while his free throw percentage is 78%.

Jeff Teague averages 15.7 points per game while playing 28.5 minutes per contest this year for the Hawks. He grabs 2.7 rebounds per game and has 5.9 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 44% and his free throw percentage currently is at 84%. Paul Millsap averages 17.1 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 32.7 minutes per contest. He also averages 9 rebounds per contest and 3.3 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 47% and his free throw percentage is 76%.

Boston averages 105.7 points per contest this season which ranks them 5th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is 3.2 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them ranked 24th. Behind the arc they shoot 34% which is good for 28th in the league. They average 53.6 rebounds per game and 24.2 assists per game which ranks them 6th and 6th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 12th with 13.7 per game. The Celtics allow 102.5 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 13th in the league. They also allow a 44% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 7th and 4th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 55.4 rebounds a game which ranks 28th and they give up 20.9 assists per contest which puts them in 6th place in the league. They force 16.4 turnovers per game which ranks them 2nd in the league.

Atlanta averages 102.8 points per game this year which ranks them 12th in the league. Their average scoring margin is 3.6 and their shooting percentage is 46% as a team which has them sitting in the 11th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 35% which is good for 15th in the NBA. They average 49.2 rebounds per game and 25.6 assists per contest which ranks them 30th and 2nd respectively. In the turnover department the Hawks rank 22nd with 15 per game. The Hawks allow 99.2 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 6th in the league. They also allow a 43% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 1st and 6th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 55.3 rebounds a game which ranks 27th and they give up 22 assists per contest which puts them in 15th place in the league. The Hawks force 16.1 turnovers per game which ranks them 5th in the NBA.

The Celtics average 105.4 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 101.7 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of 0.9 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is -5 per contest. The Celtics have an offensive rating of 106.8 and a defensive rating of 103.6. In terms of pace they average 98.5 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 49%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 53% and they shoot 3 pointers on 29% of their shots. Boston turns the ball over an average of 12.1 times per 100 possessions and they force 14.6 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 49%.

The Hawks score 103.6 ppg at home and they have averaged 103.3 points per contest in their last 3 games. They have an average scoring differential of -5 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of 5.9 points per game. The Hawks rating on offense is 105.1 and they have a defensive rating of 101.4. They get 97.1 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 52%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 55% and they attempt 3 pointers on 34% of their shot attempts. Atlanta turns the ball over on 13.8 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 14.4 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 48%.

Boston Celtics Betting Trends

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

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

Atlanta Hawks Betting Trends

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

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

Boston Celtics Injuries

No key injuries to report

Atlanta Hawks Injuries

04/14/16 G Tim Hardaway Jr. Hamstring injured last game, "?" Saturday vs. Boston
02/17/16 F Tiago Splitter Hip out for season

Tony's Pick: Take Boston

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