Two of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference meet tonight as the Atlanta Hawks (41-32) head to TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics (48-24) at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Celtics are 5.5-point favorites on the spread on PrizePicks Team Picks for the third of four meetings this season between these two teams. The series is currently split one apiece, with Boston winning in Atlanta (132-106) before Atlanta then won in Boston (117-106).
Below, we’ll break down our Hawks vs. Celtics prediction and Friday NBA picks for PrizePicks. Use PrizePicks NBA to make picks on player projections and win real money if you’re right.
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Hawks vs. Celtics Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
Winners of 14 of their last 15 games, the Hawks are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They're also coming off a 130-129 overtime victory against the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on the road.
That win ended the Pistons' four-game streak and gave Atlanta a half-game lead over the Toronto Raptors for the No. 5 seed in the East. Still, only two games separate the Hawks from the No. 10 seed Miami Heat, so a lot can change in the final stretch of the season.
The Celtics are balling almost just as hard as the Hawks, winning seven of their last 10 while still incorporating F Jayson Tatum back. The transition has looked a little rocky at times, most recently in their home defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves, when they scored just 92 points.
Boston's offense is transitioning from having the ball in the hands of G Derrick White, G Payton Pritchard, and F Jaylen Brown to a version from years past, where things were primarily initiated by Brown and Tatum.
The latter version might give the Celtics more postseason upside, however, so it could be worth the bumps in the road along the way.
A prediction of “Yes” on the Celtics to hoist their 19th Larry O’Brien Trophy currently returns a 5.88x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks.
Hawks vs. Celtics Spread, Over/Under
The Celtics enter Wednesday’s game as 5.5-point home favorites, returning a 1.42x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Hawks are road underdogs with a 2.56x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your predictions in 35 states.
- Spread: Boston Celtics -5.5 (1.96x payout)
- Over/Under: 227.5 (1.96x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Hawks 2.56x | Celtics 1.42x
Team Picks payouts are live as of writing and are subject to change.
Hawks vs. Celtics Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Hawks vs. Celtics injury report for Friday, via NBA.com.
Atlanta Hawks Injury Report
- No injuries reported.
Boston Celtics Injury Report
- F Jaylen Brown (calf): Questionable
- C Neemias Queta (thumb): Questionable
- SG Derrick White (knee): Questionable
Hawks vs. Celtics Prediction on Spread – 3/27/26
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your Hawks vs. Celtics prediction on the spread for Friday, March 27, on PrizePicks.
- Boston has been dominant against the spread (ATS) on the road but not so much at home, where they are just 18-18-0 (50%) ATS.
- Atlanta is 21-15-0 (58.3%) ATS on the road, which ranks seventh in the NBA.
- Over their last 10 games, the Hawks have the best net rating in the NBA (+12.6). This is a full 10 points higher than the Celtics (+2.6) over that span.
- In that same window, the Hawks' offensive rating is 8.1 points better than that of the Celtics (121.4 vs. 113.3), while their defensive rating is 2.0 points better (108.8 vs. 110.8).
- A typically incredibly efficient Boston offense now ranks 29th over its last 10 games in both effective field goal (51.5%) and true shooting percentage (56%). Atlanta is second in the former (58.3%) and fourth in the latter (61.2%).
Hawks vs. Celtics Picks for PrizePicks Today: 3/27/26
Here are two of the top Hawks vs. Celtics to consider for Friday, March 27, on PrizePicks. Today’s NBA picks for PrizePicks are headlined by F Jalen Johnson and F Jayson Tatum.
Hawks F Jalen Johnson vs. Celtics Projection: 38.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Johnson averages 41.4 points, rebounds, and assists (PRA) per game.
- He puts up 1.2 more points per game on the road, where he's also shooting 1.2% better from the field and 4.6% better from deep.
- On the season, Boston allows opponents to shoot 39.1 3-point attempts per game, fifth-most in the league.
- Johnson is trying a career-high 4.8 3-pointers each night on the road to the tune of a career-high 37% clip.
- In his last game in Boston, Johnson went for 19-14-7 (40 PRA).
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Celtics F Jayson Tatum vs. Hawks Projection: 37.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- The most important number for Tatum is 35. That's how many minutes he played in his last game, marking a season high for him since his return.
- If Tatum is going to receive 35+ minutes consistently going forward, then he should be compared to his previous season numbers, where he averaged 41.5 PRA.
- This is a massive tempo-up game for JT and the C’s, who rank dead last in the NBA in pace, while the Hawks rank fourth.
- Atlanta gives up 45.5 rebounds per game to opponents, tied for the sixth-most in the NBA.
- Since his return, Tatum is bringing down a career-high 9.2 rebounds each game.
Make Hawks vs. Celtics Picks on PrizePicks
The Celtics look to hold steady on their half-game lead over the New York Knicks for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks, meanwhile, hope to ride their hot streak to a playoff spot and avoid a play-in scenario.
You can make your Hawks vs. Celtics picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
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