Denying the Boston Celtics a chance to take a near-impossible 3-0 series lead on Friday night, the Boston Celtics took a second chance on the court in Atlanta this evening to put the Hawks to the ropes. This time, go ahead. Fending off the Hawks’ valiant effort at every turn, the Celtics put in a solid effort from start to finish, and built a massive 3-1 series lead in the first round.
This was a balancing performance from the Celtics, with six players scoring double goals. Leading was Jaylen Brown, who looked rejuvenated after shedding the protective mask in the middle of the night, and scored 31 points. Jason Tatum added 31 points of his own, but struggled with efficiency, shooting just 4-of-13 from three-point range. Boston’s rotation of point guards was effective again, as Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon combined for 51 points and eight three-pointers,
For the Hawks, De’Andre Hunter had a great night, scoring 27 points. After a huge performance in Game 3, Trae Young struggled again tonight, scoring 35 points and handing out 15 assists, but shooting only 11-of-26 from the field and finding many of his buckets in garbage time when the Hawks no longer had a chance. The big man’s rotation of Clint Kabila and Onyeka Okonjo hit the offensive glass, grabbing six offensive rebounds.
The Hawks’ offense fought its way with the Celtics in Game 3, aided by lackluster efforts from Boston’s defense. Tonight, tightening up that effort has been a focal point since the beginning. Atlanta only conserved 36% of their shooting from the field in the opening frame, while their offense continued to cook given all series long. The Celtics dug five times and assisted on half of their made buckets in the first quarter, taking a 35-25 lead in the second.
Boston’s offense slowed in the second quarter, as some wind blew into Atlanta’s sails. After trading buckets for most of the quarter, the Hawks took a 9-0 lead in the closing minutes allowing them to pull back four points from the Celtics’ lead. A three-point play from Robert Williams III — part of the young quarterback’s 8 points, 12 rebounds in the first half — helped restore order, and the Celtics tightened their grip as the clock went on. They entered the half with a 12-point lead, 65-53.
After a relatively uneventful outing — at least by his recent lofty standards — on Friday in Game 3, White not only bounced back tonight, but looked like the best player on the field in the first half. His 15 points in the first half led the Celtics, and they needed every point as Tatum and Brown got off to relatively quiet starts. Boston has gone as far as White has this entire series, and the solid start was an encouraging sign this evening.
The Hawks pulled the lead in hand behind an 8-2 run to start the second half, but the Celtics quickly responded. For much of the third quarter, the game moved at a fast pace, with both teams seeming to pick up the pace. Near the midpoint of the quarter, Young caught Tatum’s arm on the way to the rim, and made no attempt to play on the ball. The officiating crew revised the sequence and, after a brief video review, upgraded the call to Flagrant 1 for a pull down by Young, putting Tatum to the test.
The lead was just below the double-digit threshold for most of the third quarter, with the Hawks winning minutes slightly, but not making much progress toward flipping the lead. After finally shedding the protective mask he had worn, at his mother’s request, for weeks after his release, Brown righted the ship in the third, tallying nine points. However, the Hawks won the quarter, trailing by five points in the final frame, 92-87.
As the fourth quarter began, the Falcons continued to threaten Boston’s lead. The Celtics struggled to keep them at arm’s length in the opening minutes, though the Hawks couldn’t get close to four points. Midway through the quarter, a timely three from Tatum and a solid running back from Brown helped put the Celtics back in control, regaining 10 points with less than seven minutes left in regulation.
Atlanta’s Bogdan Bogdanovic fumbled the game with less than six minutes left, as the Celtics led by eight points, 108-100. The Hawks put the Celtics on the line again on the ensuing possession, with Tatum converting one of two free throws before Boston’s defense gave up a layup to Young on the other end. After a few back-and-forth possessions — including a couple of layups from Williams III, his best game of the series to date — the Celtics found themselves leading 113-106 with three minutes remaining in regulation.
Tatum dominated the next few possessions, driving it to the free throw line for a pair of free gifts before connecting with three very deep draws to put the Celtics ahead by 9 with two minutes left. Young responded with a deep three of his own on the next possession, but with 1:21 on the clock, the Browns hit a dagger—a three-pointer that put the Celtics ahead 121-109. The Hawks found quick buckets, but it wasn’t enough to close out this game, and the Celtics took a 3-1 series lead.
Then, the series returns to Boston for Game 5 as the Celtics look to lock the Hawks out in their home stadium this Tuesday at 7:30 PM ET on TNT.