Atlanta Hawks (41-32) at Boston Celtics (48-24)
Friday, March 27, 2026
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #73, Home Game #37
TV: NBCSB, FDSNSE, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 92.9 The Game, Sirius XM
TD Garden
The Celtics continue their home stand after a win over the Thunder on Wednesday as they host the Atlanta Hawks. This is the 3rd of 4 games between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 132-106 in Atlanta on January 17. They lost the second game 117-106 in Boston on January 28. They will meet again for the final time in Atlanta on March 30. The Hawks won the series 2-1 last season with the Celtics winning one in Atlanta and the Hawks winning twice in Boston. The Celtics are 246-152 overall all time and they are 132-57 in games played in Boston. The Hawks have won the last 3 games in Boston.
The Hawks were among the most active teams at the trade deadline. They traded Trae Young to Washington for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum before the deadline. They traded Vit Krejci to Portland for 2 second round picks. They traded Luke Kennard for Gabe Vincent. They got Jock Landale for cash considerations. And their biggest move was trading Kristaps Porzingis to Golden State for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.
Since the All Star break, the Hawks are 15-2, the best record amongst all Eastern Conference teams. Before the break, Atlanta ranked 27th in the NBA in offensive rebound %. Since the break, the Hawks rank fourth-best among all NBA teams over that time. In March, Atlanta is 11-1, tied with the Thunder for the best record in the league since the beginning of March. They are coming off a 130-129 overtime win in Detroit over the Pistons.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1 game ahead of 3rd place New York, 3.5 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 7.5 games ahead of 5th place Atlanta, 8 games ahead of 6th place Toronto, and 8.5 games ahead of 7th place Philadelphia. The Celtics are 29-14 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 25-11 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
The Hawks are 5th in the East, 11.5 games behind 1st place Detroit7 games behind 3rd place New York and 4 games behind 4th place Cleveland. They are half a game ahead of 6th place Toronto, 1 game ahead of 7th place Philadelphia, and 2 games ahead of 8th place Miami. They are 23-21 against Eastern Conference teams. They are 20-16 on the road and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 3 games.
This game at home against Atlanta completes a 3 game home stand. Then it’s back on the road for a 4 game trip through Charlotte, Atlanta once again, Miami and Milwaukee. They will then play two games at home against Toronto and Charlotte before one game on the road at New York. They will finish the season with 2 games at home against New Orleans and Orlando.
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This is the 2nd game of a 2 game road trip for Atlanta. They beat the Pistons in Detroit on Wednesday to begin the trip. They will return home to play Sacramento and complete the series against Boston. Then they play at Orlando and at Brooklyn. They then have a game at home against New York before a home and home series against Cleveland. They will finish the season on the road at Miami.
Nicola Vucevic remains out after surgery to stabilize a fracture in his right ring finger. Neemias Queta is available after being questionable due to a right thumb sprain. Derrick White is also available after originally being questionable with a bruised right knee. Jaylen Brown is out due to left Achilles tendinitis. I’m just guessing that Baylor Scheierman will get the start. The Hawks had a late addition to their injury report. Jock Landale is questionable due to a shoulder injury.
Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs CJ McCollum
Derrick White
NBAE via Getty Images
CJ McCollum
NBAE via Getty Images
SG: Baylor Scheierman vs Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Baylor Scheierman
NBAE via Getty Images
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
NBAE via Getty Images
SF: Sam Hauser vs Dyson Daniels
Sam Hauser
NBAE via Getty Images
Dyson Daniels
NBAE via Getty Images
PF: Jayson Tatum vs Jalen Jackson
Jayson Tatum
Getty Images
Jalen Johnson
NBAE via Getty Images
C: Neemias Queta vs Onyeka Okongwu
Neemias Queta
Boston Globe via Getty Images
Onyeka Okongwu
NBAE via Getty Images
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Jordan Walsh
Max Shulga
Charles Bassey (10-Day)
2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Injuries/Out
Nikola Vucevic (finger) out
Neemias Queta (thumb) available
Derrick White (knee) available
Jaylen Brown (calf) out
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Hawks Reserves
Mouhamed Gueye
Buddy Hield
Caleb Houston
Corey Kispert
Jonathan Kuminga
Asa Newell
Zaccharie Risacher
Gabe Vincent
Keaton Wallace
2-Way Players
Rayj Dennis
Keshon Gilbert
Christian Koloko
Injuries/Out
Jock Landale (shoulder) questionable
Head Coach
Quin Snyder
Key Matchups
Jayson Tatum vs Jalen Johnson
Johnson is averaging 22.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 49.3% from the field and 34.9% from beyond the arc. In the first 2 games against the Celtics, he averaged 15.5 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists while shooting 33.3% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him well and keep him off the boards.
Baylor Scheierman vs Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Alexander-Walker is averaging 20.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 45% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc. In the first 2 games against the Celtics, he averaged 19.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 41.9% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc. He is a good 3 point shooter and the Celtics need to stay with him on the perimeter.
Honorable Mention
Derrick White vs CJ McCollum
McCollum is averaging 18.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He is shooting 45.5% from the field and 37.2% from beyond the arc. In 4 games against the Celtics this season, he is averaging 12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 34% from the field and 18.2% from beyond the arc.
Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always a key to winning games. The Celtics have an offensive rating of 119.3 (2nd) while the Hawks have an offensive rating of 114.7, which is 14th. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 111.5 which is 4th while the Hawks have a defensive rating of 113.0, which is 10th. The Celtics have been hot and cold on defense this season. Sometimes they can shut down the other team (See OKC) and sometimes they allow them to score at will (see Minnesota). The Celtics need to defend the perimeter because the Hawks are 6th, shooting 36.9% on threes. They also have to defend the paint as the Hawks are 6th with 52.3 points in the paint per game. The Celtics must make defense a priority in this game and they have to play that tough defense for 48 minutes and not let up.
Rebound - Next to defense, rebounding is the key to winning. When the Celtics put out the extra effort on the boards, it usually carries through to the rest of their game. The Hawks are averaging 43.4 rebounds per game (17th) while the Celtics are averaging 46.5 rebounds per game (4th). The Celtics need to aggressively go after every rebound. They can’t afford to give the Hawks extra possessions and 2nd chance points by allowing them to beat them to rebounds.
Move the Ball Carefully - When the Celtics move the ball and find the open man, they are tough to beat. When they hold the ball and try to play iso ball, they become predictable and struggle. When the Celtics have more assists than their opponents they are 29-0 and when their opponents have more assists than the Celtics, they are just 17-22. The Hawks average 30.4 assists per game so getting more assists will not be easy. The Celtics need to move the ball, but they have to make careful passes because the Hawks are 3rd in the league with 20.3 points off turnovers per game.
Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes- The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. In most of their losses and even in some of their wins, they have allowed their opponents to play with more energy than them for periods of time during the game. They play well for stretches but let up and allow their opponents to surge ahead, especially down the stretch as they did against Minnesota. They have to stay focused for all 48 minutes and be ready for their opponents to play harder in the second half and they need to match that effort. They also have to come out with more effort and energy to start the game and not dig themselves into a hole. The Hawks have been playing the best of any team in the league and just beat the first place Pistons. The Celtics will need maximum effort for all 48 minutes to beat them. With Jaylen Brown out, every player will need to step up their game.
X-Factors
Home Game and Revenge- They call it home court advantage for a reason and the Celtics need to take advantage of playing on their home court. The Celtics need to get motivation from the home crowd, which should be loud and doing everything in their power to support the Celtics and rattle the Hawks. The Hawks have the distractions of travel, an unfamiliar arena and a hostile crowd and hopefully that will give the Celtics an advantage. The Hawks were also embarrassed by the Celtics on their home court in January and will be looking for some revenge on them. The Celtics need to be ready for the Hawks to give it their best effort in this one.
Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game the right way. We have seen how much of an x-factor officiating can be in a few games this season. The Celtics have to play so well all game that the officiating, no matter how bad, can’t influence the outcome.