BOSTON CELTICS (25-15) at ATLANTA HAWKS (20-23)

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Ga.

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Payton Pritchard – OUT (left ankle soreness)

Josh Minott – OUT (left ankle sprain)

Jayson Tatum – OUT (right Achilles repair)

Chris Boucher – OUT (low back spasms)

Dyson Daniels – OUT (right ankle sprain)

N’Faly Dante – OUT (right ACL tear)

Nikola Djurisic – OUT (G League assignment)

Caleb Houstan – AVAILABLE (G League two-way)

Kristaps Porzingis – OUT (left Achilles tendinitis)

Zaccharie Risacher – OUT (left knee bone contusion)

What to watch for: Anfernee Simons has been playing the best basketball of his career since the start of December. Obviously, his 39 points in Miami are the talk of the town, but his defensive improvements have allowed Joe Mazzulla to throw him into more and more high-pressure situations.

Also, keep an eye on Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard. Their scoring punch wasn’t there against the Heat, and ever since Brown’s 50-point burner in LA, the red-hot, MVP-caliber guy hasn’t been there. At least, not on the same level.

Atlanta has a long, lanky lineup that could give him some trouble, but if the Celtics can get him rolling early, it could be a good omen for the rest of the night.

Porzingis’ absence is also noteworthy, as he will miss his first chance to face his former team. Boston traded the Latvian big man to Atlanta this summer in a cost-cutting move that was a part of their second-apron summer bonanza.

Last game: The Celtics are fresh off a 119-114 win against the Miami Heat, highlighted by a 39-point explosion from Simons. After going down by as many as 19 points early in the first quarter, Boston battled all the way back, largely thanks to some extra efforts on the offensive glass and Simons’ second-half surge.

Standings check-in: Boston’s win in Miami, combined with a New York Knicks loss to the Golden State Warriors, catapulted them back into second place in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics are half a game up on the Knicks but still 4.5 behind the one-seeded Detroit Pistons, who they will face in Detroit on Monday night.

Hawks report: It’s been tough sledding for the Hawks as of late. They are 5-11 in their last 16 games (but 3-2 in their last five). Since trading Trae Young on January 9, they’ve gone 2-2, including a win over the Denver Nuggets on the night that Young was moved. CJ McCollum, whom Atlanta got in return for Young, has been active for the Hawks, though his three-point shot may have been left in Washington.

In those last four games without Young (the Nuggets game included), Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been leading the scoring charge for Atlanta. He’s averaging 20.8 points in that span on 49.1% shooting from the field and 41.9% from deep (7.8 three-point attempts per game).

Jalen Johnson, a likely first-time All-Star, has been the team’s unquestioned leader all year. The do-it-all forward is leading the team in scoring, averaging 23.31 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 8.1 assists while shooting 51.9% from the floor and 35.4% from deep (3.5 three-point attempts per game).