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Celtics, Hawks meet in Game 2 on Tuesday
By: Zach Cohen - StatFox
Published: 4/19/2016  at  10:34:00 AM
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BOSTON CELTICS (48-35)

at ATLANTA HAWKS (49-34)

NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference – Round 1
Tip-off: Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. ET
Line: Atlanta -6.5, Total: 205.5

The Celtics will be looking to prevent a 2-0 series deficit when they face the Hawks in Atlanta on Tuesday.

Game 1 of this series was probably the most competitive game of the entire postseason and it’s clear that these two teams are very evenly matched. Atlanta came away with the victory in that one, winning 102-101 as a 5.5-point home favorite. The Hawks held the Celtics to just 36.3% shooting from the field and they even outrebounded Boston 64-63. This Atlanta team was awful on the glass this season, so it was an encouraging sign for the Hawks to show more fight in Game 1. One thing worth noting when looking at this game is that Atlanta is 5-1 SU when hosting Boston over the past three seasons. The teams have, however, split victories ATS in those contests. The Celtics should be feeling confident coming into this one, though. They are 20-8 ATS when playing a team that has beaten them twice in a row over the past two seasons. The Hawks, meanwhile, are 14-4 ATS in home games after failing to cover in four or five of their past six over the past two seasons. SG Avery Bradley (Hamstring) is out indefinitely for the Celtics and C Kelly Olynyk (Shoulder) is listed as questionable for the team. The Hawks will only be without C Tiago Splitter (Hip), who is out for the season.

The Celtics will be a desperate team when they get out on the court in Game 2. They know that they can take control of this series with a victory and PG Isaiah Thomas (22.2 PPG, 6.2 APG, 1.1 SPG in regular season) is the guy that will need to lead his team to a victory. Thomas had 27 points and eight assists in Saturday’s loss, but he was just 8-for-21 from the field. He’ll need to be way more efficient moving forward, as he sets the example for his teammates. If he’s not taking good shots then it’ll be contagious on Tuesday. Other guys that will need to step up on the wing are SG Evan Turner (10.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.0 SPG in regular season), PG Marcus Smart (9.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.5 SPG in regular season) and SF Jae Crowder (14.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.7 SPG in regular season). With Bradley out, Turner and Smart will see a lot of playing time next to Thomas. Both guys will need to be tough defensively and make plays when called upon on offense. Crowder, meanwhile, will need to be more efficient in Game 2. He was just 5-for-16 from the floor and 2-for-7 from three on Saturday and that isn’t going to cut it this time around. He needs to knock down some threes to keep the defense honest and he’ll also need to continue to play excellent defense for Boston. One last guy to keep an eye on is C Jared Sullinger (10.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG in regular season). Sullinger is going to see a lot of minutes at center with Olynyk banged up and he’ll need to find a way to be effective as a scorer. He was just 4-for-14 from the field in Game 1 and those are not the type of shooting numbers you want to see from a big man. He also fouled out of the game, so he’ll need to be careful defensively.

The Hawks looked good in Game 1, but they need to clean things up a bit in Game 2. They blew a big lead in the second half and that can’t happen again moving forward. One great sign for Atlanta is that the team dominated Boston inside. C Al Horford (15.2 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.5 BPG in regular season) and PF Paul Millsap (17.1 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 1.7 BPG in regular season) combined for 38 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks on Saturday. Both of them also played excellent defense and the team needs them to continue to thrive on both ends of the floor in this series. Both guys are good around the basket and they also stretch the floor with their ability to shoot the three-ball. PG Jeff Teague (15.7 PPG, 5.9 APG, 1.2 SPG in regular season) also took over for the Hawks in Game 1. Teague had 23 points, 12 assists and a steal in 36 minutes of action in that one. He more than held his own against Isaiah Thomas and if he can continue to do that then Boston won’t have a chance in this series. It shouldn’t be a problem as Teague has the quickness to get by Thomas and he’s also a bit stronger than him, so he is able to absorb contact from him around the rim. One guy that people should keep an eye on the rest of this series is SF Kent Bazemore (11.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.3 SPG in regular season). Bazemore had 23 points and eight rebounds on 7-for-13 shooting from the floor in Game 1. He was making a ton of plays off the dribble and was able to go 8-for-10 from the line as well. If he can continue to provide a spark offensively then the Hawks just might make an extended postseason run.


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