The Atlanta Hawks are 12-2 straight up and 9-5 against the spread in their last 14 games at home. The Hawks will try to use their home-court advantage in Game 5 to retake the series lead over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday as this series sits tied up at two games apiece.
Celtics vs. Hawks, 2016 NBA playoff odds: Atlanta returns home as Game 5 betting favorite
The Atlanta Hawks hope to stop Boston’s momentum with a win at home in Game 5 over the Celtics this Tuesday night as 7-point betting favorites.
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Atlanta is a 7-point betting favorite in Tuesday night's game at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Game 5 is a virtual must-win for both teams, as NBA teams that enter Game 6 of a series with a 3-2 series lead have historically gone on to win that series 85% of the time.
Paul Millsap came to play for the Hawks in Game 4, shooting 19-for-31 from the floor in a 45-point effort. Unfortunately for Atlanta, the rest of the Hawks team combined to shoot just 18-for-69 to score only 50 points in the game.
The awful offensive day for Atlanta paved the way for the Celtics to erase a 16-point second-half deficit and take over the momentum in this series.
The Celtics will still need to win a game in Atlanta if they are going to win this series. The Hawks are 6-0 SU and 4-2 ATS in their last six home games against Boston per the OddsShark NBA Database.
The situation was looking bleak for the Celtics heading into Game 3 down 0-2 in the series and without Avery Bradley, the team’s second-leading scorer. But Isaiah Thomas has risen to the challenge over the last two games, scoring 42 points in a 111-103 win in Game 3 and 28 points in Sunday’s 104-95 victory.
Marcus Smart was also a key contributor in Boston’s comeback win in Game 4, scoring 11 straight points in the fourth quarter while also shutting down the previously red-hot Paul Millsap. Boston is 2-11 SU and 6-7 ATS in its last 13 playoff road games.
Tuesday night's total is set at 199.5 points on the NBA betting lines at the sportsbooks. The UNDER is 3-1 in this series and 6-1 in Boston's last seven postseason games.
Through the first four games of this series, the home team is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS. The Celtics will need to buck that trend in Game 5 or Game 7 if they hope to advance to the next round.
