Celtics Try To Keep Streaking vs Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks try to climb closer to .500 when they take on the red-hot Boston Celtics in a Sunday matinee between Eastern Conference playoff contenders. The opening tip for this contest is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET at TD Garden in Boston.
The Hawks have dropped three of their last four, including a home loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. Atlanta is 26-29 and in third place in the Southeast Division, trailing the second-place Charlotte Hornets by 1½ games and leading the fourth-place Washington Wizards by one game.

Boston has won seven in a row, including a victory at home over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. The Celtics are 32-25 and in third place in the Atlantic Division, percentage points behind the second-place Toronto Raptors and 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Philadelphia 76ers.
If you want to bet online on this contest, the NBA lines have the Celtics as 6½-point favorites at home, with the over/under set at 220½ points. Betting on the moneyline will get you Boston at -270, while Atlanta is listed at +230.
Rough Road
Atlanta is 10-16 on the road, having dropped five of its last six away from home. Turning that trend around is going to be more difficult with forward John Collins sitting out. He’s sidelined until after the All-Star break with a heel injury.
Collins is an energetic player on both ends of the floor, averaging 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. He played 21 minutes in Friday’s loss to San Antonio.
Guard Trae Young is probable for with a right hip contusion. The fifth-leading scorer in the league at 27.6 points per game, Young had 18 in the loss to the Spurs and has averaged 19.5 points in two games against Boston. Young is also third in the NBA with 9.4 assists per game and has posted double-doubles in each of his last four games.
Guard Bogdan Bogdanovic needs to step up his offensive game with Collins sidelined. He’s averaging 12.8 points per game but is coming off a 23-point performance against San Antonio in which he hit 5-of-8 from the 3-point line. Bogdanovic has had three or more 3-pointers in five of his last seven games.
Playing Together
There was a little dissension between the Celtics earlier in the season when things weren’t going well, but the team seems to be playing like one right now, believing in each other even when they get down. An example of that was Friday night when Denver had an 11-point first-half lead and was up nine points at the break but Boston came roaring back to extend its winning streak.
“We just stayed with it,” Boston guard Marcus Smart said after Friday’s win. “We didn’t let anything fluster us. We just kept trusting in one another.”
It helps to have the hot combo of forward Jayson Tatum and forward Jaylen Brown playing well, too. Tatum is averaging 25.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.1 assist, and he’s letting the game come to him rather than forcing his offense. In November, when Boston started 2-4, Tatum was averaging 25.0 field-goal attempts per game, but over the last five games, he’s averaged 17 shots per game and Boston is 5-0.
Brown is scoring 23.6 points per game while also contributing 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest. The two are the defined leaders of the team, but there is plenty of offensive support around them as well.
The Celtics picked up guard Derrick White at the trade deadline, and they’re excited about what he can bring to the table. In his debut, White had 15 points and six rebounds off the bench and should step into the minutes available after Dennis Schroder was traded.
Smart is another veteran Celtics player who is better when he’s not having to force the action. Smart is averaging a team-high 5.4 assists and 1.9 steals as well as scoring 11.8 points per game, and he does the little things that help the team win.
Celtics Keep Winning
The Hawks have won the first two meetings between these teams this season, but those games were in Atlanta. Playing on the road without Collins will be a different story for Atlanta in this one, as Boston extends its win streak with a Super Sunday victory.
When making your NBA picks, take Boston to win and cover at home.