This is a 10* play on the Atlanta Hawks.

After watching the Hawks just annihilate the Celtics in Game 5 in Atlanta, I think Boston is in big trouble heading back home for Game 6. Celtics leading scorer Isaiah Thomas scored just seven points on 3-of-12 shooting in 29 minutes in Game 5, and he is battling an ankle injury that will prevent him from being 100% for tonight's game. With second leading scorer Avery Bradley out with a hamstring injury, Boston really needs Thomas to carry the load offensively. The Hawks on the other hand have a ton of scoring depth, and they had five players score in double digits on Tuesday night. The Hawks had by far the best defense in the NBA since the All Star break, and the Celtics have averaged just 94 points in the first five games. Boston was very fortunate in Game 4, tying the game late to force overtime, but I think their luck is set to run out here in Game 6.

The Celtics won the first game in the regular season series at home by a score of 106-93. The Hawks though won the next three, including a 109-101 win in Boston in December. Both games in Atlanta were blowouts, with the Hawks winning by a combined 35 points. Atlanta finished the season strong winning 15 of it's last 21, and 10 of it's last 12 at home. The Hawks final home game was a 118-107 win over the Celtics, and Paul Millsap scored 31 points and pulled in 16 rebounds in that game. The Celtics had no answer for Millsap in the regular season series, as he's averaged 22.5 points and 10.3 rebounds in the four games.

Take ATL.

GL,

Jesse Schule