We have reached the halfway point of the Celtics season as they face the 21-19 Atlanta Hawks tonight. It is the third time this season that these teams will play, with Boston winning 123-93 on November 4th and losing 117-116 on November 12th in an NBA Cup game. All time, the Celtics are 245-150 against the Hawks.
The Hawks have been a fun team to watch this season. Trae Young is leading the NBA in total assists and assists per game this season and Jalen Johnson has taken his game to a fringe All-Star level. Meanwhile, De’Andre Hunter is a Sixth Man of the Year candidate and Dyson Daniels has also played very well this season averaging 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and a league leading 3.1 steals per game this season.
They went to the semi-finals of the NBA Cup and played the Bucks close and lost but since that point they are 7-6 with blowout losses to the Nuggets, Lakers and Clippers. Since losing in the NBA Cup, Atlanta is 11th in offense and 22nd in defense. This is a team that is floating in average right now but they are better than the Pelicans and Raptors, who both played the Celtics tough, Toronto even beat Boston.
The Hawks beat the Bulls on Wednesday 110-94 behind a career high 27 points from Keaton Wallace. Atlanta did not have Young, Hunter, Johnson or first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher in that game, so it was an impressive win for a team that should be well rested.
This is also the second leg of a back-to-back for the Celtics, who crushed the Magic 121-94 last night. Jayson Tatum scored 30 points, Kristaps Porzingis scored 23 points and Jaylen Brown scored 20 points in the win. It was the best the Celtics have looked recently because they haven’t played well in recent weeks.
Injury News
Hawks injury report for Saturday @ Celtics:
Probable
Hunter (left foot soreness)
Young (right rib contusion)Questionable
Johnson (right shoulder inflammation)Out
Bufkin (right shoulder surgery)
Nance (right hand surgery) Risacher (left adductor irritation) Zeller (nwt)— Lauren L. Williams (@WilliamsLaurenL) January 17, 2025
For the Hawks, DeAndre Hunter and Trae Young are probable with Jalen Johnson questionable. Meanwhile Kobe Bufkin, Larry Nance Jr. and Cody Zeller all remain out.
Celtics’ injury report for tonight vs. the Hawks:
Al Horford (left big toe sprain) – QUESTIONABLE
Kristaps Porzingis (left PTT return from injury management) – QUESTIONABLE
Jayson Tatum (left shoulder strain) – QUESTIONABLE
— Bobby Krivitsky…
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