The red hot Boston Celtics welcome the Atlanta Hawks to the TD Garden tonight as they look to notch their fifth consecutive win. Start time in tonight’s Eastern Conference clash between the Hawks and Celtics is set for 8:00pm ET on TNT. NBA Odds are favoring Boston at -4.5 against the spread; the Over/Under is set at 188.5 points. Atlanta is drawing +165 moneyline odds ($100 wins $165) to pull off the upset.

Boston recorded its fourth win in a row and improved to 33-27 on Wednesday night with a surprising 83-81 win over the Pacers in Indiana. The Celtics, playing as a 9.5 point road dog, limited the Central Division leader to 36.4 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from beyond the arc in the win.

Boston, which fell in double overtime (123-111) at Atlanta on January 25^th, may have trouble maintaining its defensive intensity this evening, though. The Celtics are playing their third game in four nights and they will take to the road again following tonight’s game (OKC on Sunday).

The Hawks snapped a three game skid on Wednesday as they rebounded from road losses to the Suns, Lakers, and Nuggets with a 107-96 home win over the reeling 76ers. The Hawks shot lights out against the Sixers usually respectable defense as they drained 43-of-80 field goals, including 11-of-24 from long range.

Prior to its three game slide, Atlanta won six of seven, topping the Mavericks, Magic, Kings, Bucks, Pistons, and Jazz by an average of 12.2 points per game.

Notable Trends: The Hawks are 5-2 against the spread (2-5 straight up) in their last seven games as a road dog at Boston. Atlanta is also 5-1 against the spread in its last six games as a road dog with a spread between 4 and 7.5 points.

Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics NBA Odds:

Atlanta Hawks +4.5 (-110), Over 188.5 (-110), +165 (Moneyline)

Boston Celtics -4.5 (-110), Under 188.5 (-110), -190 (Moneyline)

NBA Free Picks: Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics Betting
What NBA bettors need to know about Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics on Friday (3/08/13) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Scott Spreitzer, with Marco D'Angelo.