The Boston Celtics should've blown out the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the NBA playoffs.
It was downright ugly in the early going with Boston up 30 points at halftime before Atlanta eventually snapped out of its funk in the second half and started to right the ship. The C's still won 112-99, covering the 9.5-point closing spread and keeping the game 20 points "Under" the total of 231.
Las Vegas bookmakers opened Boston as a 10.5-point favorite for Part II on Tuesday night at TD Garden and despite mostly Green Teamer dominance on Saturday afternoon, the hooks have all but disappeared for Tuesday's tilt. Almost every shop in the desert has the game lined at 10, a sign that respected bettors are digging the Hawks to keep it much more respectable.
Sure, the Celtics are eyeing a substantial 2-0 series lead, but odds are very good that the Hawks play better for 48 minutes. It's not like Atlanta needs to make drastic adjustments or lineup tinkers either -- it just needs some good ol' positive regression in the shooting department.
The Hawks' best marksmen were downright awful.
Atlanta shot an ice-cold 5-for-29 (17%) from 3-point range, spearheaded by Trae Young's 1-for-5 performance and Dejounte Murray somehow shooting worse and missing all six attempts. Even Serbian sniper Bogdan Bogdanovic was 2-for-7 and that's probably the most uncharacteristic of all.
Even one of Boston's best players knows the Hawks will likely be more efficient on Tuesday.
"We expect to get their best shot," Celtics star Jaylen Brown told reporters after Game 1. "We let them get a little more comfortable in the second half, so I expect them to be a little more prepared."
Obviously, there are some minor concerns around Brown, too, after stitches in his right hand ripped open Saturday. The 26-year-old winger poured in 29 points in Game 1, but you wonder if he'll be able to grip and shoot the basketball without discomfort.
Sportsbooks don't seem to be worried, dealing Brown's point prop at O/U 26.5, but we'll see.
All things considered, I'm willing to bet on Atlanta to keep this one much more interesting. The Celtics played A-level basketball for 30 minutes and the Hawks played at a C- or D+ for around the same span. I'm banking on Young, Murray and Bogdanovic all shooting better from downtown and Quin Snyder making some adjustments to slow down a Boston offense that scored an insane 74 first-half points.
Hawks +10 (-110)
RECORD: (134-144, +16.5)
