Oddsmakers aren't giving Hawks a chance against Celtics
BOSTON -- The Hawks entered Tuesday night's play-in game as underdogs and rolled right over the Miami Heat, securing the seventh seed in the East and landing a date with the second-seeded Boston Celtics in the opening round of the playoffs.
It was an impressive win -- on the road, to boot -- but it isn't changing anybody's outlook for Atlanta's chances against Boston in a seven-game series. At least, that's what the numbers in the sportsbooks reflect.
With the Celtics and Hawks now locked in to begin their series on Saturday afternoon in Boston, the odds are now known for the series.
Overall, the Celtics are -- obviously -- massive favorites, listed at -1000 to win the series on DraftKings, MGM and FanDuel. The Hawks are +650 or +660 underdogs to win the series in any fashion.
As for the likeliest outcome, the books like the Celtics to win this one in five games. Here are the payouts for series length:
DraftKings
5 games +185
4 games +225
6 games +320
7 games +425FanDuel
5 games +160
4 games +260
6 games +310
7 games +370MGM
5 games +190
4 games +260
6 games +300
7 games +320
Clearly, the expectation is that the Celtics will not only win, but they'll do it in four or five games.
The Hawks being able to win even two games in this series would be considered an upset, as the Hawks +2.5 games is listed at +135 on DraftKings, +118 on FanDuel, and +110 on MGM.
For those who believe in the underdog, an upset would pay quite well. On DraftKings, the Hawks winning in seven games is at +2000, winning in six games is at +1700, winning in five games is at +5000, and winning in the uber-unlikely scenario of a sweep is at +9000.