Hawks vs Celtics Preview: Atlanta looks to head into break on a high note

The Atlanta Hawks look to head into the All-Star break on a high note when they wrap up a three-game road trip Wednesday night with a match up against the Boston Celtics. A win against the Celtics would give Atlanta 44 on the season which would be the second most all-time before the All-Star break.

Atlanta bounced back from Sunday's loss in Memphis with a 117-105 win over the Timberwolves on Monday. The Hawks have won both previous matchups against the Celtics this season including a 105-91 victory in Boston last month. The Celtics enter Wednesday's game with a 19-31 record but just two games behind Charlotte for the final playoff spot in the East. Boston has gone 5-5 over their last 10 games including a 96-93 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

The Celtics rallied from a 14 point deficit to make things interesting against the Bucks. Jared Sullinger led six players in double figures with 17 points. Sullinger leads Boston averaging 15.8 points and 7.5 rebounds over the last 10 games. Its been a tough year for the Celtics but they are still playing hard under head coach Brad Stevens.

Jeff Teague and DeMarre Carroll scored 22 points each when the Hawks defeated the Celtics without Al Horford and Kyle Korver during their last trip to Boston. Carroll scored a career-best 26 points in Monday's win over Minnesota while Horford added a season-high 28.

Despite Atlanta's success this season they rank near the bottom in rebounding. Teams have used that to their advantage of late. The Hawks have been out rebounded in four of their last five games. Minnesota finished with 23 offensive rebounds on Monday as part of a 50-36 advantage on the boards. In Sunday's loss at Memphis, the Grizzlies grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and out rebounded Atlanta 55-37. Even in Atlanta's big win over the Golden State Warriors last week, they were out rebounded by a 51-38 margin.

Its also fair to point out that the Hawks won two of those three games and the loss came on the road by six points. Its also fair to point out that they need to shore up some of their rebounding issues. Atlanta doesn't have to pound opponents on the glass to have a chance to win but they need to play it closer to even and need to cut down significantly the amount of offensive rebounds they are allowing.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, February 11, 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

TV: SportSouth

Radio: 92.9 "The Game" FM