Hawks vs Celtics: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups

Jackson Caudell | Mar 28, 2024

Mar 25, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaden Springer (44) defends Atlanta Hawks / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

For the second time in four days, the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics will square off in Atlanta. The first game on Monday night saw the Hawks pull off a fantastic comeback, coming back from 30 points down to defeat the NBA's best team and secure one of the most improbable wins of the season.

Atlanta will be massive underdogs tonight vs Boston, even bigger than they were on Monday night. The Hawks are at a big disadvantage when it comes to rest and the Celtics might be healthier than they were on Monday. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White did not play on Monday, leaving Boston without their two best defensive guards. They are questionable for tonight's game and if they both play, they will have a big upper hand on Atlanta. The Hawks are also on the second night of a back-to-back, haviing beaten the Portland Trail Blazers last night. The injury report has not yet been released for Atlanta, but they could be without seven players again tonight. It might take an even bigger miracle for the Hawks to pull this game off tonight than on Monday.

Let's preview tonight's matchup.

Game Preview

Not much has changed in just a few days between these teams, other than Atlanta beating Portland.

It was a team effort to beat the Celtics on Monday night, with Atlanta getting big games from De'Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Vit Krejci, and Dejounte Murray. Last night, it was all about Murray, who led the team with 30 points in the win over the Blazers.

The Hawks offense has been playing well during this brief three-game winning streak, especially their three-point shooting, which is what propelled them to a win over the Celtics on Monday night. Boston is the league's top three-point shooting team, but they went ice cold against the Hawks on Monday night.

Murray scored 30 points against the Blazers last night after scoring 19 against the Celtics on Monday. Murray is the catalyst of the offense, but the supporting cast around him was the difference on Monday night. On most nights that Murray does not have a big game, the Hawks offense suffers, but that was not the case on Monday. I still think Murray will need to have an effective game to give the Hawks a chance tonight.

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 22 points in the last meeting between these two teams and looked good shooting from three, going 4-7. Bogdanovic can get hot in a hurray and the Hawks will need him tonight.

Vit Krejci and De'Andre Hunter were aruguably the best players for the Hawks on Monday, but both struggled last night vs Portland. Krejci scored 13 points in the third quarter on Monday vs Boston, including hitting four threes. Hunter led the team with 24 points, but he struggled to shoot the ball last night, going 1-6 from three and scoring 12 points. Hunter and Krejci will have to better than they were last night if the Hawks want to pull another stunner.

Clint Capela played one of his best games of the year on Monday. HIs rebounding and defense was fantastic. Bruno Fernando will get the back up center minutes tonight.

The bench for the Hawks will need to find guys to step up. Garrison Matthews and Dylan Windler had big games last night, but Trent Forrest and others will also get minutes.

The Hawks come into this game 5th in PPG, 20th in field goal percentage, 7th in three-point attempts, 14th in three-point percentage, 2nd in offensive rebounding, and 14th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 9th in points per 100 possessions, 16th in effective field goal percentage, 10th in turnover percentage, 5th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 9th in free throw rate.

The Celtics might be getting Holiday and White back tonight, which will make the game tough on the Hawks offense. Boston is currently 6th in PPG allowed, 2nd in field goal percentage allowed, and 3rd in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Celtics are 3rd in points allowed per 100 possessions and 2nd in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis all started out strong, but Tatum was the only player to keep his level of play up throughout the game. These three players will be arguably the best on the court tonight, but the Celtics will need more from their supporting cast. If Holiday and White were to be ruled out, then Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard will need to be better than they were on Monday. Hauser is an effective three-point shooter, but was just 2-10 on Monday.

It is not just the defense that the Hawks should be worried about. Boston has one of the league's best offenses and a big reason for that is they are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA and they shoot the most threes in the NBA. Every player on the Celtics is dangerous as a shooter and it makes them very difficult to defend.

Boston is 2nd in the NBA in PPG, 9th in field goal percentage, 1st in three-point attempts, 1st in three-point percentage, 22nd in free throw attempts, 13th in offensive rebounding, and 2nd in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Boston is 1st in points per 100 possessions, 1st in effective field goal percentage, 2nd in turnover percentage, 10th in offensive rebounding percentage, and 17th in free throw rate.

The Hawks defense started off horribly vs Boston in their last matchup, but got lucky with the Celtics three-point shooting going cold. Atlanta is 27th in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage allowed, and 28th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 29th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

Injury Report

Because they are on a back-to-back, the Hawks injury report is not out yet. I would still expect Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Saddiq Bey, AJ Griffin, Kobe Bufkin, and Mouhamed Gueye. There could be a surprise addition as well.

Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Xavier Tillman, and Jaden Springer are all questionable for Boston.

Viewing and Betting information

Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast,

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be big underdogs at home tonight, as they are currently 16.5 point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 225.5.

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Bogdan Bogdanovic

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Vit Krejci

F- De'Andre Hunter

C- Clint Capela

Celtics:

G- Derrick White

G- Jaylen Brown

F-Jayson Tatum

F- Al Horford

C-Kristaps Porzingis

if Holiday is in, expect him in the lineup.