The Atlanta Hawks returned to winning ways Monday with a resounding victory over the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves. They will look to make it back-to-back wins this coming Wednesday when they square off with the Boston Celtics, who are coming off a gut-wrenching loss to the streaking Milwaukee Bucks.
Who will emerge victorious in this Eastern Conference clash? Read on below for a preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the Miami Heat.
Look out, the Atlanta Hawks are soaring once again.
[sc:NBA240banner ]A day after suffering a gut-wrenching defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Hawks bounced back in a big way beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 117-105, at Target Center on Tuesday night. Consistency has been the hallmark of the Hawks’ campaign this season as they haven’t lost back to back games since November 18. They currently own the league’s best record with a 43-10 slate.
Leading the way for the Hawks in their recent win were big men Paul Millsap and Al Horford. After combining for just 10 points on 4 of 21 shooting against Memphis, the frontcourt duo rebounded strongly against the Wolves.
Horford scored a season-high 28 points and hauled down eight boards while Millsap had 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Hawks. They were a combined 19 of 31 from the field against the Wolves for an incredible 61.2 percent shooting clip.
As a team, the Hawks shot 51.2 percent from the field against Minnesota. One of the main reasons behind their unprecedented success this season is their deadly execution on the offensive end. The Hawks are second in the league in field goal percentage with a 47.2 percent shooting clip.
That phenomenal shooting percentage can be attributed to the way they are sharing the basketball this season. They are second in the league in assists with 25.8 dimes per game. Employing Mike Budenholzer’s philosophy of non-stop ball movement has worked wonders for the Hawks’ offense, as they are averaging 103.7 points per game, sixth-best in the NBA.
They will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Boston side that is sixth-worst in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 102.6 points per game this season. A growing concern, however, for the Hawks is their frailties as of late on the rebounding end, particularly on the offensive boards.
In their last three games, the Hawks have been outrebounded 59-17 on the offensive glass. As a result, Atlanta’s opponents during that span scored an average of 11 second-chance points. The Hawks are second-worst in the league in that department, conceding an average of 14.7 second-chance points per game.
The Hawks are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games on the road.
Boston had its three-game winning streak snapped Saturday with a heart-breaking 96-93 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics had no answer for Bucks star Brandon Knight, who scored 26 points including a key jumper with 6.7 seconds left on the clock that put the outcome of the game beyond doubt.
It’s back to the drawing board once again for head coach Brad Stevens and the rest of the Celtics who lost for a the 31st time this season. Remarkably though, the Celtics, even with that losing record, are still in contention for that eighth and final playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference. They are just two games behind the Miami Heat who are in eighth place with a 21-29 record.
For Boston to grab a surprise win (or, perhaps more importantly, a cover), they will need to rediscover their flow on the offensive end. Prior to their defeat to the Bucks, the Celtics were averaging 106.3 points per game during their three-game winning run. They broke the 100-point barrier in their wins against the Knicks, Nuggets and 76ers last week.
Unfortunately for the Celtics, their shooting struggles reappeared in their loss to the Bucks. They shot just 36 of 86 from the field for a measly 41.9 percent shooting clip. Their three-point shooting was even worse as they shot just 24.1 percent from beyond the arc.
If they are to beat the league-leading Hawks, it’s paramount for Boston to share the basketball and locate the open man. The Celtics recorded only 20 assists in their defeat to the Bucks, way below their average of 25.7 APG during their three-game winning run.
The onus is on Marcus Smart to orchestrate Boston’s offense much better. Smart, who recorded a total of 19 assists during Boston’s recent winning streak, only issued one dime in their loss to the Bucks.
The Celtics are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 home games.
