Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics had a statement win on Wednesday night, knocking off the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to retain the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Boston has the New York Knicks right on its tail in the East, but it also has a shot at the No. 1 seed with Cade Cunningham (collapsed lung) out for the Detroit Pistons. The C’s are No. 2 in the odds to win the NBA Finals, and Wednesday’s win was a sign that they do have championship equity this season.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks are the hottest team in the NBA and are looking to spoil Boston’s quest for the top seed in the East.
Atlanta has won 14 of its last 15 games to move into the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, but oddsmakers have set it as a sizable underdog on Friday. Atlanta’s run has partially been due to a soft schedule, so a meeting with Boston will be a real test to see where the Hawks can go this season.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleHere’s a breakdown of the latest odds, a player prop to consider and my prediction for Friday’s Eastern Conference showdown.
Hawks vs. Celtics Odds, Spread and Total
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread
- Hawks +4.5 (-108)
- Celtics -4.5 (-112)
Moneyline
Total
- 224.5 (Over -108/Under -112)
Hawks vs. Celtics How to Watch
- Date: Friday, March 27
- Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
- Venue: TD Garden
- How to Watch (TV): NBC Sports Boston, FanDuel Sports Network (Local)
- Hawks record: 41-32
- Celtics record: 48-24
Hawks vs. Celtics Injury Reports
Hawks Injury Report
- RayJ Dennis – doubtful
- Asa Newell – doubtful
- Keshon Gilbert – doubtful
Celtics Injury Report
- Jaylen Brown – questionable
- Derrick White – questionable
- Neemias Queta – questionable
- Nikola Vucevic – out
Hawks vs. Celtics Best NBA Prop Bets
Note: These player prop picks were made before odds were released and are based on past player performance.
Celtics Best NBA Prop Bet
- Jaylen Brown OVER Assists
Jayson Tatum is back in the rotation for Boston, but Jaylen Brown has remained an elite initiator of offense in the month of March. The All-Star wing is averaging 26.3 points and 6.3 assists per game this month, pushing his season average to 5.2 assists per game.
I like this matchup for Brown against a Hawks team that ranks 15th in opponent assists per game and is fourth in the NBA in pace. Boston plays at the slowest pace in the league, but it may have a few more possessions than normal against this high-powered Atlanta attack.
Brown has at least six dimes in nine of his 12 games this month, giving him a pretty solid floor when it comes to this market.
Hawks vs. Celtics Prediction and Pick
Boston and Atlanta have split their first two meetings in the 2025-26 season, but I’m selling high on the Hawks despite their recent hot streak.
Atlanta is just 20-26 straight up against teams that are .500 or better this season, and it hasn’t exactly played a ton of teams that are going to be in the playoffs during the month of March.
The Hawks’ only wins over teams that are .500 or better during their last 15 games came against the Detroit Pistons (without Cade Cunningham), the Orlando Magic (without Franz Wagner) and the Philadelphia 76ers (without Joel Embiid or Tyrese Maxey). All of the other wins were against teams .500 or worse.
So, Atlanta deserves credit for taking advantage of a soft schedule, but can it hang with a Boston team that is fourth in net rating, fourth in defensive rating and second in offensive rating?
I’m not buying it, especially after the C’s knocked off OKC on Wednesday. Boston has posted an average scoring margin of +8.4 points as a home favorite this season.
Pick: Celtics -4.5 (-112 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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