The Boston Celtics look to win their eighth game in a row tonight, on the road in Atlanta to take on the Hawks, who just scored 121 points against the Milwaukee Bucks in their last game.

This won’t be an easy one for the Celtics, so let’s “open the files” and preview this game.

Marcus Smart is officially listed as OUT due to right ankle inflammation, which is a HUGE loss for the Celtics who are going up against two elite guards in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. 

Malcolm Brogdon is still OUT and dealing with right hamstring tightness, despite rumors of the possibility he’d return tonight for the first time since he’s from Atlanta.

So right off the bat, we know that Derrick White and Payton Pritchard will see the court plenty tonight in Atlanta, which isn’t a bad thing at all. White can be a dual threat option and has shown that he is and the same can be said about Pritchard. Both White and Pritchard are a huge reason the Celtics were able to defeat OKC due to their readiness and the unmatched spark off the bench they’re able to provide.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown need to be on the same page tonight and have another legendary performance for the Celtics to win this game. Being without both Brogdon and Smart isn’t ideal for the Jay’s who have received 65 percent of Smart’s assists this season, but White can provide similar production to Smart so hopefully the drop-off won’t be too bad without Smart tonight. 

Al Horford needs to continue to be great in all the right ways for Boston and Grant Williams needs to play big if he’s at center. In addition, it’d be great to see Grant keep his mouth shut to the officials tonight, as he’s created a poor reputation for himself that earns quick whistles.

Due to being short handed at guard, JD Davison has been called up to join the Celtics tonight in Atlanta. The rookie is averaging 15.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game for the Maine Celtics in the GLeague. If he’s able to find the court tonight, it’ll be a great matchup to see him against Trae Young or Dejounte Murray. 

Celtics vs Hawks, 7:30 PM on ESPN

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Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara, USA TODAY Sports