Celtics at Hawks
THE STORY: Nobody quite knows what to make of the Boston Celtics right now, but at least they are starting to figure out how to put the ball in the basket again. The Atlanta Hawks have been equally frustrating for the better part of the last six weeks but appear to be turning it around as the regular season draws to a close. While the Hawks are nearly locked into the No. 5 spot in the East, the Celtics are still in a fight for the No. 2 position, while the top spot remains a semi-realistic option. Boston will be looking to put together back-to-back road wins when it visits Atlanta on Friday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT THE HAWKS (43-32): Finally on a roll after over a month of lackluster play, Atlanta has been gearing up for the playoffs with three straight victories. The Hawks had gone 7-14 over their previous 21 games before beginning their current surge, though the first two came against bottom-dwellers New Jersey and Cleveland. Atlanta backed those up on Wednesday, when they fought hard against the Orlando Magic and emerged with an 85-82 home win. Josh Smith led with 26 points and Joe Johnson added 18 for the Hawks, who held the Magic to 7 of 23 from beyond the arc. Orlando is the likely first-round playoff opponent for Atlanta, with the teams comfortably in the four and five spots in the East.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (52-22): Boston waved goodbye to March on Thursday with a strong victory, taking a 107-97 decision at the Western Conference-leading San Antonio Spurs. Even with that triumph, the Celtics will be happy to turn the calendar after a month that saw them post a pedestrian 9-7 record and drop from the top spot in the East to No. 2, one-half game ahead of the Miami Heat (52-23) and two behind the Chicago Bulls (54-20) with eight left in the regular season. Those eight games include road visits to both Chicago and Miami. A big part of Boston’s problem has been on the offensive end, where they failed to reach 100 points in 10 straight games before dropping a 107-100 decision at Indiana on Monday and busting out against the Spurs.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Smith is averaging 23.5 points over his last four games and set a season high with three made 3-pointers on Wednesday. Ray Allen has been held to 11.7 points in the last three games for Boston.
KEY STATISTIC: One of the Celtics’ biggest strengths is 3-point shooting, with the likes of Allen, Paul Pierce, Jeff Green and Delonte West around to bomb away from long range. Something has gone wrong lately, however, as Boston has been held to 25 percent (13 of 52) from beyond the arc over its last four games. Atlanta ranks fifth in the NBA in 3-point defense, holding opponents to 34 percent.
SEASON SERIES: Boston has taken both meetings this season, winning by an average of 17.5 points. The most recent matchup was at the TD Garden on Dec. 16, and the Celtics emerged with a 102-90 triumph. Six players scored in double figures for Boston, led by 18 points apiece from Allen and Glen Davis. Atlanta won all four meetings during the 2009-10 campaign.
KEY INJURIES: BOSTON: C Shaquille O’Neal (Achilles); F Troy Murphy (ankle). ATLANTA: None.
LAST WORD: Atlanta television broadcaster and NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins got into a physical confrontation with former referee Rashan S. Michel after Wednesday’s game against the Magic. Michel confronted Wilkins about a $12,500 debt he claims the former star owes for clothing. Michel was arrested but claims it was Wilkins who initiated the physical contact.