The Atlanta Hawks earned the right to play the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with their win over the Miami Heat. Those digging into the player prop markets for Game 1 have plenty to sift through. Fortunately, DraftKings has left a boatload of value on the Onyeka Okongwu and Marcus Smart player prop markets for Game 1 of Hawks-Celtics. Check out OddsShopper’s tools for other sharp plays, including our Parlay Builder!
Hawks-Celtics Game 1 NBA Player Prop | Onyeka Okongwu
Onyeka Okongwu O/U 8.5 Points
The Boston Celtics played Clint Capela off the floor in both of his starts against them this year. Capela played only 39 total minutes across those games and finished with a cumulative box plus-minus of -29 — good for 0.74 points lost per minute. Capela recorded 19 total points and 17 total rebounds int those appearances, and the books have responded by setting his points prop to only 9.5 and his rebounding prop to only 11.5.
But instead of fading Capela directly, I’m targeting his backup, Onyeka Okongwu. Atlanta’s play-in game against Miami proved that Okongwu still has a role in this rotation in meaningful games, as the big man played 20 minutes, scored 12 points and swatted four shots. Okongwu averaged 11.3 points per game after the All-Star Break and scored 11 against the Celtics back in March. He shot 4-for-5 from the field and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe in the process.
The Celtics are a tough defensive matchup, but that could honestly help Okongwu. If Atlanta’s veteran starters like Capela get run off the floor early, Okongwu should see plenty of playing time. Further, the Celtics haven’t locked down opposing centers this year. They have given up the 16th-most points in the paint since the All-Star Break (50.4) and the 12th-most points per game to centers over the last 30 games. Let’s buy the over at -120 via DraftKings Sportsbook. Readers yet to register at DraftKings can get $150 in bonus bets after winning a $5 moneyline wager!
Best Hawks-Celtics Player Prop: Onyeka Okongwu Over 8.5 Points -120 for 1 Unit at DraftKings
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Hawks-Celtics Game 1 NBA Player Prop | Marcus Smart
Marcus Smart O/U 2.5 Rebounds
The Boston Celtics only had Marcus Smart for two of their games against the Atlanta Hawks this year. He logged five rebounds in his appearance at home but just one in his appearance on the road. However, before that one-rebound performance, Smart had recorded at least three rebounds in his last five games against Trae Young, a streak that dated back to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Smart stepped up on the glass during last year’s playoffs. After averaging only 3.8 rebounds per game in the regular season, he nabbed them at a rate of 4.5 per game in the postseason. This included a seven-rebound performance in Game 1 of Boston’s opening-round series against the Brooklyn Nets. This corresponded with more than just an increase in minutes — Smart’s rebound rate ticked up from 6.4% to 7%. Smart owns a career regular-season rebound rate of 6.4% but that jumps to 7.6% for playoff games.
The sharp books know that Smart steps up in the playoffs. Pinnacle, a sharp book, has the over for this NBA player prop set all the way down at -194 (66%), but we can still find it at -145 (59.2%) on DraftKings Sportsbook. This kind of edge is hard to find, and bettors can expect it to disappear before the game tips off. Let’s wager enough to profit a full unit.
Best Hawks-Celtics Player Prop: Marcus Smart Over 2.5 Rebounds -145 for 1.45 Unit at DraftKings
