Hawks-Celtics series could cause traffic nightmare for downtown Atlanta

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The Hawks’ win in Game 5 over the Boston Celtics to force a Game 6 back in Atlanta could cause a traffic nightmare in downtown Atlanta this weekend.

Game 6 of the Hawks-Celtics series will take place Thursday at State Farm Arena.

RELATED: Hawks beat Celtics 119-117, force game 6

The Janet Jackson and Ludacris Together Again Tour date originally scheduled for Thursday at State Farm Arena will now take place Friday. All tickets for the concert will be honored, according to officials with State Farm Arena.

“This is such an exciting time for the city with world-class events between Hawks Playoff basketball, Janet Jackson and Taylor Swift in downtown Atlanta. We are committed to ensuring all of our guests have a great night out at each of our events and are working with our partners to provide the most seamless experience possible,” State Farm Arena Executive Vice President of Arena Programming Trey Feazell.

Taylor Swift will begin her three-night stand at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday, next to State Farm Arena.

Officials said fans are strongly encouraged to use public transportation services such as MARTA for Friday’s concert.

RELATED: Taylor Swift fans urged to use MARTA to concerts at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Be prepared for increased traffic around the venues. Both the GWCC-CNN Center and Vine City MARTA stops are within walking distance of the venues, and MARTA plans to increase service to handle the expected ridership.

For fans wanting to watch Game 6 of the Hawks and Celtics series, officials said limited tickets remain at Ticketmaster.com.

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