Boston — — Derrick White scored twelve of his twenty-one points in the fourth quarter, and Kristaps Porzingis scored thirty-one to help the Boston Celtics defeat the Atlanta Hawks 125-117 on Wednesday night.
With 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in the game, Jayson Tatum helped the Celtics win their seventh straight at home against the Hawks to improve to 24-3 overall. Jaylen Brown ended with 15 points, and Al Horford added 14 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
Horford stated, “I just think that puts us in a different dimension offensively when we’re playing like that and moving it like that.” “We have so many weapons at our disposal that protecting ourselves gets really difficult.”
As the Celtics shot 17 for 49 from beyond the arc, including 9 of 16 in the fourth quarter to shut out the troublesome Hawks, Brown was the only starting player for Boston who failed to make a 3-pointer.
At 25, Saddiq Bey led Atlanta in scoring. For the Hawks, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu each scored 19 points, while Trae Young contributed 20 points and 10 assists. Despite having a 49-45 rebounding lead and only nine turnovers compared to Boston’s 14, Johnson’s 15 rebounds did not help Atlanta overcome the Celtics’ 52.7% (49-93) shooting from the field.
Coach Quin Snyder of Atlanta stated, “When you shoot, then you’re going to have to make some shots against a team that shoots it as well as Boston does.”
Before losing to the Los Angeles Clippers 149-144 on Sunday night, Atlanta had won four games in a row. The Hawks managed to stay within seven points for the duration of the first three quarters, but they were unable to hold off the Celtics’ early fourth-quarter push.
In the second half, Atlanta made just 4 of 17 3-pointers, demonstrating their poor shooting performance.
“I felt that the three looks we got were tidy. We simply weren’t accommodated by the ball,” Snyder remarked.
The Hawks managed to close the gap to five points in the last minute, but it was too late to complete a comeback.
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla stated, “I thought the way we played the game tonight was kind of how I like our approach to be.” “It was never something we wanted to end. We never wanted things to be slightly simpler. We simply kept working on the game, believing that it was the only area in which we could survive.
In the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, White drained three 3-pointers and finished the game 4 for 5 from long range. With 8:01 remaining in the quarter, he made his third 3-pointer of the game, pushing the lead to 109-98, Boston’s largest of the game. Boston increased their lead to 13 points when he added another from outside.
“I thought we actually did separate when it was necessary. After a few crucial stops, our players made some huge shots, according to Horford.
Brown made his way back into the game after sitting out it on Sunday due to a back issue, but Jrue Holiday was out for the Celtics due to a sprained right elbow.
Due to an injury in his left hip muscle, Hawks center Clint Capela missed his team’s second straight game.
Next up
Hawks: This Friday night away in Philadelphia.
Celtics: This Friday night, they host Washington.
