After a dominating win over the Heat in the play-in round, the Atlanta Hawks travel to Boston to face the defending Eastern Conference Champion Celtics in game one of their best-of-seven first-round series.
After winning 57 games, the Celtics are the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The first tap is set for 3:30 PM EST.
The latest Injury Report for Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta enters the playoffs averaging 118.4 points per game, good for third in the NBA during the regular season. Boston, seeded second, averaged 117.9 points per game, good for fourth place.
The best-of-seven series will feature three of the NBA’s top ten scorers: Boston’s Jayson Tatum (30.1 ppg/sixth), Jaylen Brown (26.6 ppg/ninth), and Trae Young (26.2 ppg/tied for tenth).
THE CELTICS REPORT
The second season has begun, and the Boston Celtics are poised to compete for the Eastern Conference title and beyond.
The Celtics won 57 regular-season games this season, six more than the previous year.
This year, Boston has made some significant signings, most notably Sixth Man of the Year candidate Malcolm Brogdon.
Brogdon has helped the Celtics’ second unit by averaging over 15 points per game, nearly four rebounds, and nearly four assists per game.
The Celtics will also benefit from the return to health of Robert Williams III, who missed 47 games during the regular season and limped through the most of the playoffs last year.
Keep a watch on All-Star Jaylen Brown, who is recovering from five stitches in his hand and missing the final four games of the regular season.
Jayson Tatum, the Celtics’ leading scorer and rebounder, understands that experience will be beneficial this season.
This season, the Celtics defeated the Hawks by an average of more than 13 points per game. The club averaged almost 127 points per game and shot more than 52% from the field.
The Celtics were dominant from the outside, hitting about 47% of their three-point attempts, averaging 22 per game.
Throughout the three games against the Hawks, the Celtics turned the ball over about 12 times per game.
Tatum averaged 26 points per game versus the Hawks, while Brown contributed 23 points per game.
Derrick White averaged 17 points per game for the Celtics, and Brogdon scored 18 points in the one game he played against the Hawks this season.
Only one player, Danilo Gallinari, who damaged his knee, is unable to take part in this game because of the game.
THE HAWKS REPORT
The Atlanta Hawks have had a turbulent season that has included a new backcourt, the firing of their head coach, and the now-uncertain future of their top player.
All of that, though, took a back seat to the Hawks’ play-in game against Miami on Tuesday night.
Trae Young scored 25 points and Dejounte Murray added 18 points for the Hawks, who secured the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with the victory.
Clint Capela, who missed much of the season due to injuries, scored 21 points to help the Hawks dominate the interior.
The Hawks will now face the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs.
Atlanta went 0-3 versus the Celtics this season, despite the fact that the final game of the regular season was primarily played with substitutes on both teams.
In three games against Boston this season, the Hawks averaged 113.3 points per game.
The Hawks shot 45.6% from the field overall and just 26.7% from three-point range, averaging little over nine per game.
This season, the Hawks turned the ball over just nine times per game versus Boston.
Young led Hawks scorers with 31 points a game, while Murray contributed slightly more over 16 points per game.
The Hawks do not have any players that are dealing with injuries heading into today’s game against the Celtics.
