NBA Betting Preview: Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics Game 6 Odds, Analysis

The Boston Celtics have lost all three of their away games to the Atlanta Hawks in their first-round playoff series and will try to return the favor by winning their third straight at home in Game 6 on Thursday.

Despite the fact that the Celtics won Games 3 and 4 by a combined 17 points, they are still listed as two-point underdogs for Game 6 at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark after a 110-83 defeat in Game 5 at Atlanta.

The Hawks have covered the spread just twice in the series so far, with both times coming in easy double-digit wins at home. The latest came Tuesday, as they trailed Boston 20-15 at the end of the first quarter but outscored the team 74-42 over the second and third to take control.

Five Atlanta players scored in double figures, led by Mike Scott off the bench with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting. The Hawks shot 43.8 percent (42-of-96) from the field overall, but they tightened the screws defensively, holding the Celtics to 37.7 percent (29-of-77) while making seven more three-pointers.

Boston’s Isaiah Thomas had his worst performance of the series, managing only seven points on 3-of-12 shooting in just over 29 minutes. Thomas is dealing with an ankle injury and averaged 35 points and 40 minutes in the previous two games.

Thomas will need a lot more help offensively if Boston is going to send the series back to Atlanta for a Game 7, as Evan Turner was the only Celtic to score more than 10 points in Game 5.

The Hawks are likely favored here because of the way they have dominated most of the matchups this season since losing 106-93 at Boston back on Nov. 13. They were 1.5-point road favorites in that game but have won six of the past eight meetings, going 5-3 against the spread, according to the Odds Shark NBA Database.

Of those eight wins in the series, four have been decided by double digits. Atlanta also had a 109-101 victory as a 3.5-point road underdog on the betting lines at the sportsbooks Dec. 18, proving the team can win at TD Garden.