NBA Playoffs
Eastern Conference – Round 1
Tip-off: Thursday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Atlanta -2.0, Total: 197.0

The Hawks will be hoping to advance to the second round with a road victory over the Celtics in Game 6 on Thursday.

Boston showed a lot of fight by defeating Atlanta in Games 3 and 4, but the team looked absolutely horrendous in Game 5. The Hawks had Philips Arena rocking on Tuesday, winning 110-83 as 7.5-point home favorites. Atlanta shot 43.7% from the floor and held Boston to just 37.7% shooting. The Celtics also turned the ball over a miserable 20 times in that one. If the Hawks can continue to put that type of pressure on the Celtics then this series will likely be over after this game. One thing favoring the Hawks coming into this Game 6 matchup is the fact that they are 33-19 ATS off of a home win by 10 points or more over the past three seasons. They’re also facing a Celtics team that is just 2-10 ATS after five straight games of allowing its opponent to shoot 42% or less from the field this season. Boston is, however, 15-5 ATS when revenging a road loss of 10 points or more versus an opponent over the past two seasons. C Tiago Splitter (Hip) remains out for the year for Atlanta and PG Isaiah Thomas (Ankle) is questionable for Boston, which is already without SG Avery Bradley (Hamstring) for the remainder of the season.

The Hawks are coming off of a huge victory in Game 5 and they’ll now look to secure a meeting with the Cavaliers in the second round. If Atlanta is going to win this one on the road then the team will need a lot more from C Al Horford (12.0 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.6 BPG in playoffs). Horford has been miserable offensively this series, shooting just 38.6% from the floor. He has not scored in double digits since Game 2 and that needs to change on Thursday. He’s one of the most versatile bigs in the league and the Hawks need him to start knocking down shots soon. PF Paul Millsap (16.2 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.4 BPG in playoffs) and PG Jeff Teague (17.6 PPG, 6.2 APG, 1.0 SPG in playoffs) are also going to need to step it up for the Hawks in this one. Millsap followed up a 45-point performance in Game 4 with just 10 points in Game 5. Atlanta will likely need him to score at least 20 on Thursday. He’d be wise to get into the paint early, as he should be able to draw some fouls and get himself going at the line. Teague, meanwhile, will be playing against a banged up Isaiah Thomas. He’ll need to attack the rim and make him uncomfortable in this one. The x-factor in this game could, however, be SF Kent Bazemore (13.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG in playoffs). Bazemore came up huge in Game 5, finishing with 16 points and five rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. This Hawks team is nearly impossible to guard when Bazemore is hitting from the outside.

The Celtics have their backs against the wall heading into Game 6 and they’ll need a huge performance from PG Isaiah Thomas (24.0 PPG, 4.0 APG in playoffs). Thomas has been banged up lately and really struggled in Game 5, finishing with just seven points on 3-for-12 shooting from the floor. He is, however, averaging 35.0 PPG at home in this series and should be amped up to play in front of the Boston faithful. If Thomas has any of his explosiveness back in this game then he should be fine. He will, however, need a lot of help from his teammates on Thursday. Two guys that might just provide the help are SGs Marcus Smart (11.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG in playoffs) and Evan Turner (14.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.2 BPG in playoffs). Smart is a relentless defender and has been playing well offensively. He knows how to get to the basket and has shot better from the outside recently. Turner, meanwhile, is a very good offensive player. He knows how to score in a number of ways, but he’s also a brilliant passer. Boston needs him to have a solid game on Thursday.