Hawks vs Celtics Betting Preview: Boston Looks to Close Out First-Round Series in Game 5

Boston's -12 Equals Largest Spread of Series

The No. 7 seed Atlanta Hawks are facing elimination following a 129-121 loss to the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics on Sunday. The defending Eastern Conference champions now have a chance to close out their first-round series with a victory Tuesday night at TD Garden. Leading 3-1, the Celtics are a 12-point home favorite and -700 on the moneyline. The over/under is set at 231.5. Let’s take a closer look at the odds for Game 5 in our Hawks vs Celtics betting preview.

Hawks logo Hawks vs Celtics Celtics logo

Date & Time:
Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Streaming: TNT

Will Murray be Suspended?

Adding to the Hawks’ concerns for Game 5, star guard Dejounte Murray is facing a potential suspension after bumping an official following Sunday’s loss.

At the conclusion of the game, Murray was seen approaching referee Gediminas Petraitis. In doing so, Murray appeared to yell in Petraitis’ face and make physical contact. Murray was then escorted off the court by teammates and team personnel and toward the locker room.

Murray finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes. He shot 4-of-8 from 3.

Earlier this season, Boston’s Grant Williams was suspended one game for inadvertently making contact with an official. According to the NBA rulebook, “any player or coach guilty of intentional physical contact with an official shall automatically be suspended without pay for one game.”

According to multiple reports, the NBA is investigating the incident involving Murray. Any potential discipline would come before Game 5.

Facing elimination, Atlanta obviously can ill-afford to lose Murray, their second-leading scorer and top playmaker alongside Trae Young. The Hawks simply don’t have a suitable replacement.

Hawks Facing Near Insurmountable Deficit

Young delivered his most productive performance of the series in Game 4, finishing with 35 points, 15 assists and two steals. He also hit four 3-pointers.

And still, it wasn’t enough to keep the Hawks from falling behind 3-1 in their best-of-seven series. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum scored 31 points apiece to fuel the Celtics, who are on the verge of advancing past the first round for the sixth time in seven NBA seasons.

The Celtics have exposed Atlanta’s deficiencies on defense throughout the series, averaging 120.5 points (2.6 points higher than their season average) while shooting 51.8% from the field. Game 4 marked the 19th time in 20 games in which Atlanta allowed at least 110 points.

Because of that, Atlanta now has a particularly steep hill to climb. In NBA history, only 13 teams have overcome a 3-1 series deficit to win Game 7. The most recent team to do so was the 2020 Denver Nuggets, who rallied to beat both the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers.

Celtics Now Betting Favorite

With Milwaukee trailing 2-1 in its first-round series, Boston has overtaken the top-seeded Bucks as the NBA’s betting favorite. The Celtics are currently listed at +115 to win the Eastern Conference and +240 to win the NBA Finals. Milwaukee is next in line at +360, while Phoenix boasts the best odds of any Western Conference team at +400.

Additionally, Boston is now a near lock to win its first-round series. Its odds have skyrocketed from -1000 before Game 1 to -20000.

Handicapping Game 5

The Celtics enter Tuesday as 12-point favorites, the largest NBA point spread of the series, and -700 on the moneyline. Atlanta, meanwhile, is priced at +490. The over/under is 231.5 – nearly identical to the projected point total from Game 4.

Notably, in the Hawks vs Celtics matchup, Boston is 3-1 against the spread this series and 48-37-1 ATS overall. The Celtics are also 54-21 as the moneyline favorite. Conversely, Atlanta is just 37-49 ATS.

Regardless if Murray plays, all signs in our Hawks vs Celtics betting preview point toward Boston closing out the series at home. The Celtics are 34-9 at TD Garden this season, including victories in Games 1 and 2.

For a Hawks vs Celtics betting preview, NBA betting tips, analysis and more, visit pointspreads.com.

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