Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics Prediction: Celtics likely to get the 3-1 lead

The NBA Playoffs have been a storm that has brought huge ripples and there have been some high-seeded teams that have come head-to-head with the storm. Currently, the first round is on and this round usually sees lop-sided results for the higher-ranked teams but injuries and momentum can both change that. Can the Atlanta Hawks continue the trend and tie the series against the Boson Celtics?

After scoring 99 & 106 in the first two games, Atlanta came with a scintillating response in Game 3. The Celtics had a four-point lead in the first quarter but the Hawks stormed back building a seven-point lead in the first half, thanks to a 41 points second quarter. The Hawks and the Celtics were drawn even in the third quarter and then in the fourth quarter, Celtics brought it as close as two points on an And-One by Jayson Tatum. With 45 seconds to go, Trae Young made a layup and gave the Hawks a five-point lead, and then Jaylen Brown missed a triple, giving Hawks an unassailable advantage by the end of it.

The backcourt pair of Trae Young and DeJounte Murray combined for 57 points, Trae nabbing 32 of those. The bench played a crucial too with Bojan Bogdanovic and Saddiq Bey both having 15 points each. For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum led with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists whereas Marcus Smart had 24 points and eight assists. Jaylen Brown had a rather quiet game according to his reputation as a 25+ points scorer, scoring 15 points Off the bench, Malcolm Brogdon had 17 points and Grant Williams had 14 points. The Hawks shot 56% whereas the Celts shot around 49%. The hawks had a decisive 48-29 rebounding advantage.

• Hawks: Nothing report to at the time of writing;
• Celtics: OUT: Danilo Gallinari. QUESTIONABLE: Marcus Smart.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Jayson Tatum(32+ Points), Trae Young(29+ Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Clint Capela(10-13 Rebounds), Jayson Tatum(9-11 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Trae Young(8-10 Assists), Marcus Smart(6-9 Assists).

In the last game, the Celts' defense was underwhelming and the Hawks showed its scoring depth finally in the series. On the other hand, the Hawks’ defense is matador for most parts and this doesn’t bode well for making a comeback in the series. That’s why I favor the Celtics to win this big and predict a scoreline of 125:116 in their favor.