NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference – Round 1
Tip-off: Tuesday, 8:35 p.m. ET
Line: Boston -7.0, Total: 200.0

The Celtics will be hoping to steal a Game 5 victory when they face the Hawks in Atlanta on Tuesday.

The Hawks seemed like they were going to run away with this series after some really solid performances in Games 1 and 2, but the Celtics responded with two huge wins at home. Boston was a one-point home underdog in Game 4, but the team ended up winning 104-95 for its second consecutive win-and-cover. The Celtics have really been fighting hard, winning the rebounding battle in each of their two victories. That fight on the glass has been crucial in this series, as neither team has won a game when being outrebounded. The Hawks have gotten the best of the Celtics when playing at Philips Arena over the years. Atlanta is 6-1 SU and 4-3 ATS at home against Boston over the past three seasons. One thing that does favor the Celtics is that they are 36-22 ATS after having won two of their past three games over the past two seasons. The Hawks, however, are 9-1 ATS in home games after having lost four of five of their past six games over the past two seasons. SG Avery Bradley (Hamstring) remains out for the Celtics and C Tiago Splitter (Hip) is out for the year for the Hawks.

The Celtics evened up the series with a big victory in Game 4 and PG Isaiah Thomas (28.3 PPG, 4.3 APG in playoffs) is absolutely carrying his team. Thomas is averaging 35.0 PPG over the past two contests and he is an incredible 23-for-47 from the field in those games. He is getting to the basket whenever he wants and he has also been able to hit some outside shots as well. If Thomas can continue to win his battle with Jeff Teague then the Celtics could advance to the next round. Another guy that has been great for Boston is SG Marcus Smart (12.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 1.3 SPG in playoffs). Smart had 20 points, eight boards, five assists and two steals in 42 minutes of action in Game 4. He provided a spark on both ends of the floor and will be counted on to fill Bradley’s role the rest of the way. One thing that really made Smart stand out was his ability to defend multiple positions. He had no trouble shutting down his opponents on the perimeter, but he also did an admirable job of defending Paul Millsap in the post. Smart can really swing this series by continuing to step it up next to Thomas.

The Hawks nearly came away with a Game 4 victory, but they now have a ton of pressure on them in Game 5. One guy that will be expected to play at a high level is PF Paul Millsap (17.8 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.8 BPG in playoffs). Millsap had been playing horribly before Game 4, but he broke out and finished that game with 45 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks and two steals in 46 minutes of action. Not only did he score 45 points, but he did it efficiently. Millsap was 19-for-31 from the field in that game and he was making the defense pick its poison. He was unstoppable around the basket, but he also had it going with his jumper. The Hawks need him to be that aggressive again on Tuesday. PG Jeff Teague (18.0 PPG, 7.0 APG, 1.3 SPG in playoffs) and C Al Horford (13.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 3.0 BPG in playoffs) do, however, need to step it up in this series. Teague has been getting torched on the defensive end and that can’t continue to happen for Atlanta. If he can’t find a way to contain Thomas then the Hawks will not be able to make it out of this round. Horford, meanwhile, has been nonexistent offensively. This is a guy that averaged 15.2 PPG during the regular season and he had just five points in the Game 4 loss in Boston. He needs to find his game and he’ll have to do it soon for Atlanta.