Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction, 1/17/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

The Boston Celtics (24-15) are headed to State Farm Arena on Saturday where they will meet the Atlanta Hawks (20-22).

The Celtics stepped onto the hardwood against the Pacers and took a loss by a final of 98-96 in their last game. When discussing fouls, the Celtics ended up walking away with 7 while the Pacers accumulated 7 fouls. They also converted 16 out of their 37 shots from downtown. Indiana finished 66.7% at the free throw line by making 4 of their 6 shots. Moreover, Indiana grabbed 40 rebounds (5 offensive, 35 defensive) and had 1 block. Indiana doled out 29 assists and had 8 steals for the matchup. When it comes to the defense, Boston let their opponent shoot 46.4% from the floor on 39 out of 84 shooting. They also recorded 22 assists in the game while forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and getting 9 steals. When it comes to rebounding, they earned 46 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Celtics made 7 of their 9 shots for a rate of 77.8%. Boston ended having earned a 45.5% FG percentage (40 of 88) and made 9 of their 35 three-point shots.

Payton Pritchard is a guy who was a factor for this game. He ended up walking away with 23 points on 10 out of 22 shooting. He played 37 mins and also totaled 4 rebounds. Pritchard shot 45.5% from the floor and also earned 8 dimes.

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Boston heads into this game with a mark of 24-15 so far this season. They turn it over 11.9 times per game and as a team they are committing 20.5 fouls per game. As a unit, Boston is collecting 44.5 boards per contest and has tallied 929 assists this year, which has them ranked 29th in the NBA in terms of passing. The Celtics are connecting on 36.8% from downtown (612 of 1,661) and 79.0% from the free throw line. They have an average of 116.6 points per outing (14th in the NBA) on 47.3% from the field.

Defensively, the Celtics are forcing 13.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.4 personal fouls. They are giving up 37.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 2nd in basketball in points per game from their opponents (110.1). The Celtics defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.0% (1,514 of 3,362) and they concede 41.7 rebounds per game as a squad. They currently rank 4th in the league in giving up assists with 999 surrendered so far this season.

In their last game, the Hawks walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 141-116 against the Lakers. The Hawks pulled down 20 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards totaling 32 for the game. They turned the ball over 6 times, while earning 11 steals for the matchup. The Lakers had 17 personal fouls in this contest which got the Hawks to the charity stripe for a total of 18 tries. They were able to make 13 of the free throws for a rate of 72.2%. With respect to shooting from distance, Atlanta converted 13 out of their 46 attempts (28.3%). Overall, the Hawks walked away from this one shooting 45 for 100 from the field which had them shooting 45.0%. The Hawks allowed the Lakers to make 48 of 83 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 57.8% for the matchup. They finished 55.9% from beyond the arc by hitting 19 out of 34 and ended up shooting 26 of 30 from the free throw line (86.7%). In the matter of team rebounding, Atlanta permitted Los Angeles to grab 47 overall (10 offensive).

Nickeil Alexander-Walker ended up being a factor for the Hawks for the matchup. He buried 10 of 16 for the game for a field goal percentage of 62.5%, and had 4 rebounds. Alexander accumulated 26 points in his 33 minutes on the court and had 3 assists in this contest.

Atlanta has a win-loss mark of 20-22 for the year. On the offensive side of the court, the Hawks are shooting 47.9% from the floor, which ranks 8th in the league. Atlanta has 4,969 pts on the campaign (118.3 per game) and they average 41.7 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 31.2 times per contest (1st in the league) and they are turning it over 14.7 times per contest. The Hawks have committed 20.2 fouls every game and they connect on 77.2% from the charity stripe.

The Hawks defensively are ranked 25th in basketball in PPG surrendered with 118.9. They are forcing 16.0 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 47.8% from the field (23rd in basketball). The Atlanta defense allows 35.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter (554 of 1,559) and their opponents are making 79.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 27.9 dimes and 46.1 boards every game, which is 26th and 26th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Atlanta

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