PREVIEW: The Atlanta Hawks have caught fire in the second half of the season, going 15-2 since the All-Star break to climb into fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They stretched their winning streak to three games by beating Detroit in overtime Wednesday night, with the team winning 14 of its last 15 games. Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with 27 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists, and he leads the Hawks in scoring, rebounds and assists this season . What makes this Hawks offense particularly dangerous is their elite spacing and ball movement— they rank first in both high spacing on offense and good passing according to ShotQuality data . Boston's defense presents the ultimate test for Atlanta's red-hot offensive machine. The Celtics have also been playing well, posting a 13-5 record since the break with impressive wins over the Lakers, Cavaliers and Thunder. Boston is 7-2 since Jayson Tatum returned to the court , and the team's defensive identity is suffocating— the Celtics rank first in defense against three-point shooting while allowing low quality threes overall. This marks the third of four meetings between the Eastern Conference teams, with the season series tied 1-1.