Preview: Hawks host Celtics, look to continue winning streak

The Atlanta Hawks (22-25) will host the Boston Celtics (25-24) on Friday night. The Hawks come in riding at five-game win streak after their win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. Atlanta continues to try to climb up the Eastern Conference standings after slipping out of the gates this season.

The Celtics are probably another team who thought they’d be off to a better start. Boston sits as the No. 8 seed in the East, just two games ahead of the Hawks back at No. 12. The Celtics have the fourth-best point differential in the East and have won seven of their last ten games.

It’s a little early to monitor the standings on a game-by-game basis, but not for Atlanta. The Hawks dug themselves a hole and any game vs. a team ahead of them in the East could be massive looking back at the end of the season.

Atlanta will have an edge offensively in this one, as they still rank second in the NBA in offensive rating heading into play on Friday. The Celtics sit just 19th in the NBA in offensive efficiency.

Odds

The Hawks are 2.5-point favorites over the Celtics as of early Friday morning, for those who may be interested. Atlanta has covered in all five wins on their current streak.

Injuries

By way of some miracle, the Hawks and Celtics both have relatively clear injury reports. The Hawks have no listed injuries, while Boston lists only PJ Dozier and Bol Bol, both of whom they recently traded for, as out on their report.

Game Info

Game Date & Time: Fri. Jan. 28, 7:30 pm ET

Location: State Farm Arena

TV: BSSE, League Pass (out of market)

Streaming: Bally Sports App, League Pass

Radio: 92.9 The Game