Boston Celtics (6-1) vs. Hawks (3-4) Game #8 11/4/24

The Celtics face the Hawks in Atlanta in the final game of a 4-game road trip. So far they are 2-1 on the trip, with their only loss against the Pacers coming in overtime. The Hawks are playing on the second night of back-to-back games after playing at New Orleans on Sunday night. The Hawks won their first two games and then lost four in a row before beating the Pelicans on Sunday.

This is the first of three meetings between these two teams this season. They will face each other again on November 12th and January 18th, both games in Boston. The Celtics and Hawks each drew two games last season, with both teams winning two home games. The Celtics are 244-149 overall against the Hawks and 112-95 in games in Atlanta.

The Celtics remained mostly unchanged in the offseason, returning their entire roster and only losing Svi Mykhailiuk and Oshae Brissett. They added Baylor Scheierman, who was the 30th pick in the draft, and signed second-round pick Anton Watson to a two-way contract. They have a vacant roster spot that they will likely keep open in the event of an injury during the season. They also put a few points on their shoulders after the Olympic disruptions and other dramas in the summer.

The Hawks made a big trade early in the offseason. They gave up DeJounte Murray and traded him to the New Orleans Pelicans along with two first-round picks for Larry Nance, Jr. and Dyson Daniels. They also had the first pick in the draft, selecting Zaccharie Risacher, a 6-foot-2 forward from France. They also lost Saddiq Bey in free agency to the Wizards.

The Celtics will be without Kristaps Porzingis, who is still recovering from offseason ankle surgery and is not expected back until December. Sam Hauser missed 3 games due to lower back pain, but has played in the last 3 games and is likely to play in this game. Jaylen Brown will miss his second straight game with a hip injury. I expect Joe Mazzulla to start the double with Al Horford and Luke Kornet again in Brown's absence.

The Hawks have their own injury problems. Vit Krejci is out due to a right adductor muscle injury. Bogdan Bogdanovic is out after a medical procedure to treat tendinopathy in his right thigh muscle. Kobe Bufkin is recovering from a shoulder subluxation and is also out. Seth Lundy (ankle), De'Andre Hunter (knee) and Cody Zeller (personal) are all questionable for this game.

Likely Celtics starters

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Celtics reserves
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
Sam Hauser

2-way player
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anthony Watson

Injuries/losses
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) is out
Jaylen Brown (hip) is out
Sam Hauser (back) probably

Head coach
Joe Mazzulla

Likely Hawks starters

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Hawks reserves
Mouhamed Gueye
Garrison Mathews
Onyeka Okongwu
Larry Nance, Jr
David Roddy

2-way player
Dominick Barlow
Seth Lundy
Keaton Wallace

Injuries/losses
Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring injury) is out
Kobe Bufkin (shoulder) is out
Vit Kretjci (thigh) is out
Seth Lundy (ankle) questionable
De'Andre Hunter (knee) questionable
Cody Zeller (personally) questionable

Head coach
Quin Snyder

Key Matches

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  Jrue holiday
  
  

  Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images
  

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  Trae Young
  
  

  Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
  

Jrue Holiday vs. Trae Young
Young is averaging 27.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 11.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He isn't particularly efficient, shooting 39.8% from the field and 30.5% from distance. The Celtics need to use him for both shooting and passing as he has been very good at finding open teammates. He is also very quick in the passing lanes and therefore the Celtics have to be careful with their passes.

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  Derrick White
  
  

  Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
  

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  Dyson Daniels
  
  

  Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images
  

Derrick White vs. Dyson Daniels
Daniels is averaging 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He is shooting 50% from the field and 35.3% from distance. This is a battle between two defensive guards who can also block shots. The Celtics will need White to improve his game while Brown is out for this game.

Honorable mention
Jayson Tatum vs. Jalen Johnson
Johnson is averaging 16.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals. He shoots 41.2% from the field but just 25% from distance. Tatum shot just 1-for-9 from 3 against the Hornets on Saturday and will be hoping he can find his range again in this game as they will need him to score with Brown injured.

Key to the game
defense – Defense is always the key to winning games. Defense is particularly important for the Celtics in this game as the Hawks are a good scoring team, averaging 117.2 points per game, which is 9th in the league. The Celtics are ranked No. 1 with an average of 123.7 points per game. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 110.7, which is 12th, while the Hawks have a defensive rating of 118.6, which is 28th. In their only loss, the Celtics lacked perimeter defense, allowing the Pacers to make 39.5% of their three-point shots. The Celtics need to prioritize defense in this game and they need to play that strong defense for 48 minutes and not let up.

rebound – Besides defense, rebounding is the key to victory. A lot of rebounding is effort and desire. When the Celtics put in extra effort on the boards, it usually affects the rest of their game. The Hawks average 42.2 rebounds per game (23rd) while the Celtics average 42.9 rebounds per game (21st). The Celtics haven't done as well in rebounding as they did last season and need to be aggressive after every rebound. They can't afford to give the Hawks extra possessions and second-chance points by allowing them to beat them on rebounds.

Effort and ball movement – The Celtics lost to the Pacers because they were a step slow and couldn't move the ball very well. Their performance in the first three quarters was very lackluster. They allowed the Pacers to outrebound them 57-51 and were a step slower on almost every play. They didn't move the ball, with just 23 assists to 33 assists for the Pacers. The Celtics have to move the ball and not play hero ball. They must also play at maximum effort for 48 minutes and not allow the Hawks to build a lead, or if the Celtics build a lead, they must keep it and not allow the Hawks to come back.

Bank game – In their game against the Kings on November 1st, the Hawks' bench outscored the Kings' bench 56-26. The Hawks' reserves shot 51.3% from the field and 46.4% from distance. Despite injury problems, they managed with their reserves. The Celtics need their reserves to play big games, especially on defense.

X factors
Street play and fatigue – The Celtics are playing their fourth straight road game and will have the distractions of travel, a hotel stay and playing in front of hostile fans in an unfamiliar arena. However, they had a day off since their last game, while the Hawks are playing in their second consecutive game, and had to travel after Sunday's game. As this game progresses, Atlanta's fatigue could come to fruition. Both teams also play with fewer numbers. The last game on a road trip is usually the toughest and so the Celtics need to stay focused.

Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. Each team calls the play a little differently, some call it “tight” and others let it play. Some referees are just a headache, while others try very hard to get everything right. Sometimes they are tech crazy about every little thing. In some games the two halves are called completely different things. The Celtics need to adjust to how the game is going and focus on playing the game, not the direction.

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