The NBA is back for another round of games as the number one team in the league this season the Boston Celtics play host to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
Boston come into the game with a regular season record of 38-12 to put them top of the standings so far, while Atlanta come into the game with a regular season record of 22-28 which ranks them in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.
We'll take a look at the game and provide you with our best free NBA betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you watch the action on the court.
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Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks information
- Wednesday, February 7th 2024
- TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
- 19:30 ET tip-off
Season so far
Of the 30 teams competing in the NBA this season, there is no franchise with a better record than the Boston Celtics heading into this game - 38-12.
The season began with five straight wins for Boston as they defeated New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets before suffering their first defeats against Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers in their next two games.
They followed that up with another impressive win streak, coming out victorious in each of their next six games with Jaylen Brown top-scoring in three of those, before they fell to defeat once again this time against the Charlotte Hornets despite Jayson Tatum hitting a season-high 45 points in the game.
The Celtics then had a phenomenal month of December where they won 12 of 14 games, with their only defeats coming against Indiana again and the Golden State Warriors. But Tatum, Brown and Kristaps Porzingis all shared the load fairly and dominated different games to ensure they entered the new year on fire.
January was less successful as they went 11-5 for the month and failed to win more than three games in a row for the first time across an entire month. February has started well though, with Boston claiming a blowout 131-91 win over the Memphis Grizzlies last time out thanks to 34 points from Tatum.
Atlanta on the other hand have had a pretty mixed season and are yet to pick up a winning record over the course of a calendar month this season.
The Hawks started the season with consecutive defeats to Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks, but bounced back with four wins on the spin in their next games against Milwaukee, Minnesota, Washington and the New Orleans Pelicans.
They then suffered five defeats in their next seven games however, with their only wins coming against Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons while Trae Young hit a stunning 38 points and 8 assists in their 152-157 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Young then closed out the month with a huge 45 points and 14 assists game to help Atlanta beat the San Antonio Spurs 137-135.
December was a horrible month for the Hawks as they lost ten of 14 games including their first six of the first seven in the month. Milwaukee, Denver, Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Toronto Raptors all claimed wins before Atlanta got a win back over Toronto in the second of their back-to-back games to snap the skid. They then lost four of their final five games to end the year with a 13-19 record and looking for a way to improve.
January did see a minor improvement for the Hawks, as they went 7-8 for the month and managed their first three-game winning streak since the four-game run at the start of the season. Dejounte Murray top scored for Atlanta in five straight games to assert his importance to the team. But they lost three of those, before Young returned to form and led the way in wins over Toronto and LA Lakers to close out the month.
February has been insane so far as they've gone 2-1 which included a 141-134 overtime win over Steph Curry's Warriors team, before a 144-149 loss to the LA Clippers last time out.
NBA Picks: Boston Celtics -11.5 @ -110
Boston are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games when playing at home against Atlanta and that looks set to continue here. Boston are also 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against an opponent in the Southeast Division division but it's the Atlanta stats that make this a better bet.
Atlanta are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games against Boston, and are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games on the road. They're also 1-7 ATS on their last 8 trips to Boston while struggling for form in the NBA this season.
Back the league's best team this season to get the job done comfortably at home.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
NBA Picks: Over 243 total match points @ -110
The over is quite clearly the play here when you have two of the best scoring teams in the NBA.
So far this season Boston have averaged 120.3 points scored per game, which ranks them fifth across the league, while Atlanta have averaged 121.6 points per game to rank themselves third for scoring in the league.
Defensively however Boston have been the sixth-best ranked team in the league with just 110.7 points allowed per game on average, while the Hawks have the second-worst record with 123.9 points allowed per game on average.
Expect points from both teams or a blowout for the Celtics against a shocking defense but either way, this over should land.
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