Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics Pick & Prediction – 1/28/2026

Two teams moving in different directions will square off at TD Garden as the Atlanta Hawks visit the Boston Celtics. Boston has stabilized things after a difficult start to the season, with Jaylen Brown leading a high-powered offense, while Atlanta reshaped its backcourt earlier this month with the Trae Young trade. The Celtics enter this contest as favorites and they will try to get an important win here. Before the action begins, continue reading to find my Hawks vs Celtics prediction.

Our Hawks vs Celtics Pick

Pick:

Confidence: 3/5

Game Snapshot

• Matchup: Atlanta Hawks @ Boston Celtics
• Date & Time: Wednesday, January 28, 7:30 PM ET
• Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Broadcast: NBA League Pass

Key Storylines

• Roster reset in Atlanta: Trae Young is out of the picture following the mid-January deal that brought CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Hawks. The offense now flows through Jalen Johnson, whose all-around numbers include 23.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game.
• Jayson Tatum remains sidelined as he recovers from an Achilles injury, leaving Jaylen Brown to carry the scoring load. Brown enters with 29.6 points per game, aided by the spacing of Sam Hauser and steady guard play from Derrick White.
• Frontcourt availability matters for Boston. Neemias Queta has emerged as a valuable interior presence, but he and Luka Garza are both questionable due to illnesses. The status of that duo could shape the rebounding and second-chance scoring ability of the Celtics.
• Both of these teams are playing well going into this matchup. The Hawks have won three straight games and the Celtics have won three of their last four. Both teams enter this game in the top 10 in the Eastern Conference standings and this game is a great opportunity for both of them to make a statement to the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Head-to-Head & Betting Trends

• Past meetings: Boston handled Atlanta 132-106 on in their first meeting of the season on January 17, powered by a 52-point second quarter and 41 from Brown.
• The Hawks are 24-24 against the spread going into this contest.
• The Celtics go into this matchup with a record of 25-21 against the spread.
• The under is 27-19 in Celtics games this year.
• Atlanta has gone 25-23 to the over this season.

Hawks vs Celtics Model Projection

Final Thoughts

Jay Sanin

Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.

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