Celtics vs. Hawks: The best player prop bets for Jan. 28

Two of the NBA’s hottest teams will clash tonight at State Farm Arena when the red-hot Atlanta Hawks host the surging Boston Celtics.

The Hawks have won five straight games, and are coming off an impressive 121-104 victory over Sacramento on Wednesday, in which they held the Kings to 41% shooting from the floor and received a strong performance from their bench mob. Atlanta still has plenty of ground to make up after a disastrously slow start to the season, but a win tonight would inch them closer to a play-in spot.

The Celtics, meanwhile, have won seven of their last 10 games, and are also fresh off a lopsided 128-75 win against the Kings on Tuesday. Boston began the game with an 11-0 run and led by as many as 60 points before Celtics head coach Ime Udoka emptied his bench. Boston sits in eight place in the Eastern Conference, but is just 6.5 games away from the top spot.

This is the second time this season the Celtics and Hawks have met. Atlanta won the first skirmish on Nov. 17 110-99 behind 20 points and 11 rebounds from power forward John Collins.

We’ve examined tonight’s matchup between the Celtics and Hawks closely and have the three best player prop bets below.

Trae Young Over/Under 26.5 points

Trae Young wasn’t in action last night, but he made headlines just the same when he was selected to the NBA All-Star Game for the second time in his career. It’s a deserving honor for the swaggy star, who is averaging 27.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 9.3 assists in his fourth year in the league.

So, what should bettors expect from Young tonight? The 23-year-old point guard had 17 points in 24 minutes on Wednesday evening and was yanked from the game long before he could work up a proper sweat. He’ll be well rested for the Celtics, and will be eager to prove his All-Star selection wasn’t a fluke.

26.5 points is a high threshold for most mere mortals, but not for a world-class playmaker whose range extends into the stadium parking lot. Young had been averaging a coolly efficient 29.7 points in the five game prior to facing the Kings, and is poised to punish the Celtics tonight.

Pick: Over 26.5 points (-103)

Marcus Smart Over/Under 10.5 points

To say that Marcus Smart looked a little rusty against the Kings would be putting it mildly. The burly combo guard went scoreless in 23 minutes in his second game back from COVID-19 protocols. Boston certainly didn’t need his offense as five players scored in double figures, but the fact he was shooting blanks against the league's 29th-ranked defense suggests he’s still trying to regain his rhythm after missing six games.

Overall, Smart has scored 10 points or less 19 times this season, including on Nov. 17, when he managed just eight points against the Hawks on 3-10 shooting from the floor and 0-4 from beyond the arc. The two-time Defensive Team selection will still get plenty of burn tonight as he shadows Young, but don’t expect Smart to light up the scoreboard.

Pick: Under 10.5 points (-106)

Al Horford Over/Under 1.5 3-point field goals made

Al Horford is many things. He’s a rugged rebounder, a sturdy screener, and a first-rate teammate. One thing he isn’t, however, is a deadeye shooter. The 35-year-old big man is hitting just 28.7% of his 3-point attempts this season. That would be a career-low for most players, but not for Horford, who failed to hit a single shot beyond 22-feet in three of his first five seasons.

Horford has hit one 3-pointer or less in each of his last three games, and went 1-4 from deep against Atlanta on Nov. 17. Don’t expect him to suddenly turn into the second coming of Ray Allen tonight.

Pick: Under 1.5 3-point field goals made (-210)