Hawks vs. Celtics, Game 1: Lineups, prediction, live stream info

The Hawks and Celtics kick off their first-round series with Game 1 Saturday afternoon. Here’s everything you need to know to watch.

The NBA Playoffs begin with quadruple headers on both Saturday and Sunday. Game 1 between the Hawks and the Celtics gets second slot on Saturday, tipping off at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The Hawks jumped to the No. 7 seed by knocking out the Miami Heat in the first game of the NBA Play-In Tournament. They got 25 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists from Trae Young in that game, but also some serious contributions from deep on their bench — Saddiq Bey, Onyeka Okongwu and Jalen Johnson combined for 39 points, 19 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks.

Hawks vs. Celtics projected starting lineups:

Atlanta Hawks

• PG — Trae Young
• SG — Dejounte Murray
• SF — De’Andre Hunter
• PF — John Collins
• C — Clint Capela

Boston Celtics

• PG — Marcus Smart
• SG — Jaylen Brown
• SF — Derrick White
• PF — Jayson Tatum
• C — Al Horford

How to watch Hawks vs. Celtics in the NBA Playoffs

Date: Saturday, Apr. 15
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Boston, MA
Arena: Wells Fargo Center
TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN, ESPN+, FuboTV (free seven-day trial)

Hawks vs. Celtics prediction:

The Celtics are the better team by a decent margin and swept the Hawks in their regular season series — three wins by a combined margin of 40 points. If Atlanta’s depth keeps showing up and Trae Young gets hot the Hawks can make the series competitive. But, ultimately, the Celtics have more talent, more versatility and more experience making adjustments and targeting advantageous matchups in a playoff series. Between that and homecourt advantage, I would expect the Celtics to eventually exert their dominance in Game 1.

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