Atlanta Hawks (4-7) at Boston Celtics (9-2) Game #12 11/12/24

After coming from behind to win on Sunday in Milwaukee, the Celtics return home for the second of three games against the Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics easily won their first meeting on November 4th in Atlanta 123:93. They will meet again in Boston on January 18th. Against the Hawks, the Celtics are 246-148 overall and 132-44 in games in Boston.

The Hawks have been sidelined since Saturday and won’t play again after that game until Friday, when they play the Wizards at home. They should be well rested, although they will also be understaffed. They then embark on a 4-game road trip through Portland, Sacramento, Golden State and Chicago. They then face the Mavericks at home and then play a home-and-home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Celtics play back-to-back games in the first half. They will play in Brooklyn on Wednesday. This is their second consecutive set after winning both halves against the Hornets in the first. After Brooklyn on Wednesday, the Celtics host Toronto and then Cleveland before a road game in Washington. They return home for games against the Timberwolves and Clippers.

The Celtics may be without some key players in this game. Jayson Tatum rolled his ankle on what should have been a flagrant 1 against Giannis Antetokounmpo, but stayed in the game. He is questionable for this game. Al Horford is questionable for this game due to a sprained left big toe. He will likely miss this game and play against the Nets on Wednesday. Jaden Springer is questionable with a knee injury. Kristaps Porzingis remains out due to rehabilitation from ankle surgery. I’m not sure who will start if Tatum and Horford are both out. I think Tatum will play and that Queta will start in Horford’s place.

The Hawks will be very shorthanded with 7 players on the injured list. 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 also out. Trae Young is also out with right Achilles tendonitis. I’m just assuming Keaton Wallace will step in for Young in the starting lineup.

Likely Celtics starters

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Celtics reserves
Payton Pritchard
Baylor Scheierman
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
Sam Hauser
Luke Kornet

2-way player
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anthony Watson

Injuries/losses
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) is out
Jaden Springer (knee) questionable
Jayson Tatum (ankle) questionable
Al Horford (toe) questionable

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) is out
De’Andre Hunter (knee) is out
Cody Zeller (personal) is out
Trae Young (Achilles) is out

Head coach
Quin Snyder

Key Matches

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• Jayson Tatum
  
  

  Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
  

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  Jalen Johnson
  
  

  Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images
  

Jayson Tatum vs. Jalen Johnson
Johnson is averaging 19 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He shoots 45.1% from the field and 30.2% from distance. In the first game against Boston, Johnson finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal while shooting 35% from the field and 28.6% on three-pointers. Tatum could miss this game, and if so, whoever starts here will have to defend Johnson very well as he will likely be their best player.

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  Jaylen Brown
  
  

  Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images
  

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  Zacharie Risacher
  
  

  Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images
  

Jaylen Brown vs. Zacharie Risacher
The number one pick in the draft was thrust into the starting lineup due to an injury to De’Andre Hunter and has had ups and downs in his game so far. He averages 12 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1 block per game. He shoots 37.9% from the field and 25.3% from distance. Against the Celtics in the first game against Boston, he finished the game with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists while making 40% of his field shots and 16.7% of his three-pointers.

Honorable mention
Derrick White vs. Dyson Daniels
Daniels is averaging 12.4 points, 4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3 steals per game. He shoots 45% from the field and 27.8% from distance. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished the game with 8 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal while making 44.4% of his shots from the field and not hitting a 3-pointer. Jaylen Brown is back from a hip injury in the second game and will hopefully be back to full strength in this one.

Key to the game
defense – Defense is always the key to winning games. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 108.7, which is 5th, while the Hawks have a defensive rating of 117.6, which is 26th. Against the Bucks, the Celtics allowed 69 points in the first half before stepping up their defense in the second half, leading them to 38 points. The Celtics need to prioritize defense in this game and they need to play that strong defense for 48 minutes and not just when they are on the floor with their backs against the wall. The Celtics will have to pay particular attention in the paint as the Hawks rank 4th in the league with 53.8 points per game.

rebound – Besides defense, rebounding is the key to victory. A big part 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 42.5 rebounds per game (20th), while the Celtics average 45.3 rebounds per game (16th). 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 got off to a slow start in the last few games and ended up in a hole. They then had to increase their efforts and double down on defense as they progressed to secure a victory. 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. They need to play hard again from the start and move the ball throughout the game and not just when they are behind and desperate.

depth – With both teams likely missing key players in this game, team strength will definitely come into play. Payton Pritchard has brought energy and efficient scoring off the bench and the Celtics need him to keep going. Sam Hauser has been struggling with back pain since his absence and is hoping to get back on track. The Celtics also need their big backups to continue their games and replace missing players.

X factors
Home court– They don’t call it home advantage for nothing, and the Celtics need to take advantage when they play on their home court. The Celtics need to be motivated by the home crowd, who should be loud and do everything in their power to support the Celtics and upset the Hawks. The Hawks have the distraction of travel, an unfamiliar arena and a hostile crowd, and hopefully that will give the Celtics an advantage.

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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