Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks -NBA Free Pick – Friday April 1, 2011
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Boston Celtics (52-22) vs Atlanta Hawks (43-32)
Friday, April 1, 2011 at 8:00 pm EST on ESPN
Last meeting: Boston has won both meetings between the two clubs this season.
The Celtics have been scuffling a little bit, coughing up their top spot in the Eastern Conference. Still they managed to stroll into San Antonio last night and beat the Spurs by 10 with Tim Duncan back in the lineup, so if there was ever a doubt that this is a team to be reckoned with it should be gone. Yes this is an older team but when they are properly motivated their age matters very little. The Celtics will be lacking some size inside tonight with bigs Shaquille O’neal, Troy Murphy and Nenad Kristic unlikely to see action. Without them they should more than be able to compete as the Hawks are mostly undersized anyway. What is more of a factor is that the Celtics are on a back to back for this one and throughout the season their motivation seems to ebb and flow. This might be a spot to fade them.
Atlanta is very secure in the middle of the Easter conference race and heading to the playoffs once again. They have pushed Boston in the playoffs in the past but their rivalry with the Celtics will be one sided until they take a series from them when it matters. This team is good but it appears to have plateaued after showing great promise. They enter this contest on a three game winning streak and should be feeling good about beating the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Being at home with an extra day of rest against what could be a very tired Boston team should be an advantage. I also imagine that they are looking to make a statement here which should show from their energy.
The current line on this one is Boston -1.5. This doesn’t feel like a good spot for the Celts on the second game of a back to back playing a highly motivated opponent. I think their interest could wane.
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Prediction: Hawks will make a statement, at least for one game. They really want this one while Boston appears to be pacing themselves and was more interested in beating San Antonio last night.
Score: Atlanta 101 – Boston 95
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Boston Celtics Betting Trends:
- Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Boston’s last 12 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston’s last 9 games on the road
- Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Atlanta Hawks Betting Trends:
- Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Atlanta’s last 23 games
- The total has gone OVER in 10 of Atlanta’s last 15 games when playing Boston
- Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
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