Preview: Boston Celtics (25-15) at Atlanta Hawks (20-23) Game #41 1/17/26 | CelticsGreen
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Boston Celtics (25-15) at Atlanta Hawks (20-23)
Saturday, January 17, 2026
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #41 Road Game #22
TV: NBCSB, FDSNSE, NBA-LP
98.5 Sports Hub, 92.9 The Game, Sirius XM
State Farm Arena
The Celtics continue their road trip after a loss to the Pacers and a win over the Heat. After this game at Atlanta, they will finish the trip in Detroit on Monday. This is the 1st of 4 games between these two teams this season. They will meet again in Atlanta on March 30 and will play twice in Boston on January 28 and March 27. The Hawks won the series 2-1 last season with the Celtics winning one in Atlanta and the Hawks winning twice in Boston. The Celtics are 245-151 overall all time and they are 113-95 in games played in Atlanta.
The Hawks saw a lot of change in the off season. They were part of a 3 team trade That sent Georges Niang to Boston and Terance Mann to Brooklyn and brought back Kristaps Porzingis from Boston. They were also part of a 7 team trade involving Kevin Durant where they sent Clint Capela to Houston in return for David Roddy, who they cut. They got Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a sign and trade with Minnesota.
They traded Kobe Bufkin to Brooklyn for cash. Caris LeVert and Larry Nance, Jr both left in free agency and they cut Charles Bassey. They signed N'Faly Dante and Luke Kennard as free agents. They drafted Asa Newell with the 23rd pick in thee draft. Just last week, they made the first big trade of the silly season when they sent Trae Young to Washington for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are half a game ahead of 2nd place New York. They are 1 game ahead of 4th place Toronto, 2.5 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 6th place Orlando. The Celtics are 18-9 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 13-8 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
The Hawks are 10th in the East, 11 games behind first place Detroit, 5.5 games behind 2nd place Boston, 4 games behind 6th place Orlando, 3.5 games behind 7th place Cleveland, 2 games behind 8th place Miami, and half a game behind 9th place Chicago. They are 2 games ahead of 11th place Milwaukee. They are 10-15 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 7-11 at home and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last 2 games.
The Celtics are playing in the 3rd game of a 4 game road trip. They lost the first game in Indiana and won in Miami. They will play Detroit on Monday to complete the trip. They will then play one game at home against Indiana before playing Brooklyn and Chicago on the road. They will then have another 4 game home stand against Portland, Atlanta, Sacramento and Milwaukee. Then, they are on the road at Dallas and Houston before playing Miami, New York, and Chicago at home, taking them into the All Star Break.
The Hawks are playing in the first of 2 consecutive home games. and will host Milwaukee on Monday. They will then play at Memphis and then host Phoenix and Indiana. Then they play at Boston, home vs Houston and on the road against indiana and Miami. Next up are 2 home games against Utah and Charlotte before playing at Minnesota and at Charlotte that brings them to the All Star game.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum remains out as he continues to rehab from the Achilles tear he suffered in last year's playoffs. Josh Minott will miss his sixth straight game due to an ankle sprain. Payton Pritchard is in danger of missing his first game of the season as he is listed as doubtful due to ankle soreness. I'm guessing that Sam Hauser will continue to start at power forward and taking a very wild guess that Anfernee Simons will get the start at shooting guard after his big game against the Heat. Joe will likely start the person I least expect to start, however, and may start Hugo or Baylor.
For the Hawks, Dyson Daniels is questionable due to a right ankle sprain that he has been managing. I'm thinking he will play, but if not, we may see new Hawk CJ McCollum get the start. Former Celtics Kristaps Porzingis will sit out his 5th consecutive game due to left Achilles tendinitis. Zaccharie Risacher will miss his 5th consecutive game due to a left knee injury. N'Faly Dante is out for the season with a knee injury.
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs 
Derrick White vs Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Shooting Guard 
vs 
Anfernee Simons vs Dyson Daniels
Small Forward 
vs 
Jaylen Brown vs Vit Krejci
Power Forward 
vs 
Sam Hauser vs Jalen Johnson
Center 
vs 
Neemias Queta vs Onyeka Okongwu
Celtics Reserves
Baylor Scheierman
Xavier Tillman
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Chris Boucher
Jordan Walsh
2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Josh Minott (ankle) out
Payton Pritchard (ankle) doubtful
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Hawks Reserves
Nikola Durisic
Mouhamed Gueye
Luke Kennard
Corey Kispert
CJ McCollum
Asa Newell
Keaton Wallace
2 way Players
Rayj Dennis
Caleb Houston
Injuries/Out
N'Faly Dante (knee) out
Kristaps Porzingis (Achilles) out
Zaccharie Risacher (knee) out
Dyson Daniels (ankle) questionable
Head Coach
Quin Snyder
vs Sam Hauser vs Jalen Johnson
Johnson is averaging 23.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.3 steals. He is shooting 51.9% from the field and 35.4% from beyond the arc. Sam needs to hit his 3's to spread the floor and keep Johnson out of the paint and off the boards.
vs Derrick White vs Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Alexander-Walker is averaging 20.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 44.8% from the field and 37.8% from beyond the arc. Derrick White struggled against the Heat and so hopefully he will bounce back with a big game in this one.
Honorable Mention
Neemias Queta vs Onyeka Okongwu
Okongwu is averaging 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1 block per game. He is shooting 48.2% from the field and 36.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need tu guard Okongwu both inside the paint and on the perimeter because he shoots well from both.
Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always a key to winning games. The Celtics have an offensive rating of 121.5 (3nd) while the Hawks have an offensive rating of 113.8, which is 19th. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 114.4 which is 15th while the Hawks have a defensive rating of 114.7, which is 16th. The Celtics have been hot and cold on defense this season. Sometimes they can shut down the other team and sometimes they allow them to score at will. the Celtics need to defend the perimeter because the Hawks are 6th, shooting 37% pm threes. They also have to defend the paint as the Hawks are 10th with 52 points in the paint per game. The Celtics must make defense a priority in this game and they have to play that tough defense for 48 minutes and not let up.
Rebound - Next to defense, rebounding is the key to winning. When the Celtics put out the extra effort on the boards, it usually carries through to the rest of their game. The Hawks are averaging 41.7 rebounds per game (25th) while the Celtics are averaging 44.7 rebounds per game (12th). The Celtics need to aggressively go after every rebound. They can't afford to give the Hawks extra possessions and 2nd chance points by allowing them to beat them to rebounds.
Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes- The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. In most of their losses and even in their wins, they have allowed their opponents to play with more energy than them for periods of time during the game. They play well for stretches but let up and allow their opponents to surge ahead, especially down the stretch. They have to stay focused for all 48 minutes and be ready for their opponents to play harder in the second half and they need to match that effort. They also have to come out with more effort and energy to start the game and not get into a hole as they did against the Heat.
Move the Ball Carefully - When the Celtics move the ball and find the open man, they are tough to beat. When they hold the ball and try to play hero ball, they become predictable and struggle. When the Celtics have more assists than their opponents they are 11-0 and when their opponents have more assists than the Celtics, they are just 12-14. The Celtics need to move the ball, but they have to make careful passes because the Hawks are 5th in the league with 20.3 points off turnovers per game.
X-Factors
Road Game - The Celtics are playing in their 3rd straight game on the road and will have the distractions of travel and a hotel stay and playing in front of hostile fans in an unfamiliar arena. Both teams are also playing short handed and so fatigue due to the missing players and also fatigue from travel can be a factor down the stretch
Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game. We have recently seen how much of an x-factor officiating can be. The Celtics have to play so well all game that the officiating, no matter how bad, can't change the outcome.