The Boston Celtics host Atlanta on Friday, looking to build on their 33-27 mark against the 34-26 Hawks in NBA action at TD Garden.

(Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news). The Celtics are 33-27 so far on the season, and 28-29-3 ATS vs. the number. The Hawks, meanwhile, are 34-26 and 28-30-2 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Boston go 29-30-1 and the Hawks go 30-29-1 on the totals.



View Atlanta vs Boston Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Oddsmakers at Sportsbook opened the Celtics as 5-point favorites in this matchup earlier today, while the OVER/UNDER line was sitting around 193 earlier at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game matches up the No. 15 (Celtics) and the No. 19 (Hawks) teams in the league, according to our current NBA Power Rankings at Odds Shark. A 99-97 result in favor of the Celtics is predicted by handicapping models.



How They Match Up:
In rebounding, the battle of the boards features Boston's No. 28-rated squad against Atlanta's No. 25-rated roster. When it comes to long-range shooting, Boston rates No. 25 in the league with 5.8 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 3 with 9 per outing.

Defensively, the Hawks feature the league's No. 8-rated defense on the road, giving up 95.7 points per game. Boston, meanwhile, comes in at No. 18 in the league in scoring at home.

In their last action, Atlanta was a 107-96 Sportsbook at home against the 76ers. They covered the 8.5-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (203) was profitable news for OVER bettors. Atlanta got 27 points and 11 assists from Jeff Teague en route to a 107-96 victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday at Philips Arena.

Boston won its last outing, an 83-81 result against the Pacers on March 6. The Celtics covered in that game as a 9-point underdog, while the 164 combined points took the game UNDER the total. Boston earned an 83-81 victory over Indiana on Wednesday, getting 18 points from Kevin Garnett at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.


Atlanta Hawks Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Brooklyn are 7-3
After playing Philadelphia are 7-3
After a win are 5-5

Boston Celtics Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Oklahoma City are 6-4
After playing Indiana are 4-6
After a win are 7-3

A few Hawks at Celtics trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Atlanta's last 12 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Atlanta


Next up:
Atlanta home to Brooklyn, Saturday, March 9
Boston at Oklahoma City, Sunday, March 10