Boston Celtics 'bad day at the office' vs. Hawks: Six reasons why they lost

The Celtics came out slow and never really recovered. They did make a run in the third quarter, but that energy was fleeting, and the Celtics were thoroughly beaten by a Hawks team bent on revenge.

Jan 28, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Luka Garza (52) defends Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) during the first half at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

1. REVENGE!
2. The Celtics dug too big a hole (and didn’t have the energy to climb out of it)
3. They paid dearly for every mistake
4. They got out-shot by a lot 
5. Jaylen Brown had an off night
6. Amari Williams came back to earth
7. OTHER NOTES: 

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics came out flat, and even though they made a couple of runs throughout the game, they never seemed to have much of a chance. They were out-worked and out-shot on their way to a 117-106 loss. 

BOX SCORE

The Celtics flat-out stunk in the first quarter, falling behind by 20 behind cold shooting and turnovers, while the Hawks hit everything. They closed the gap some in the second behind Luka Garza’s 11 points and five offensive rebounds. The Hawks then answered a Boston run to go back up 20 early in the third, but the Celtics finally woke up and started playing hard. The briefly got it to single digits late in the third, but then never could find their stroke or get the stops they needed to and go on an extended run and get any closer.

Here are six reasons why the Celtics lost to the Hawks. 

REVENGE!

The Hawks didn’t fly to Boston, they borrowed The Dread Pirate Roberts’ ship. They were embarrassed at home by the Celtics earlier this month, and they came in with something to prove. 

“I think in the shoot around, coach [Quin Snyder] kind of started off the scout with reminding us of that game,” Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. “Not losing the game, but how we lost the game, and having that sense of pride of the collective unit to come out tonight and put up a fight.”

They also had Dyson Daniels, which is a hell of a way to get that revenge. 

“I thought he was great tonight, even though we weren't our best offensively,” Jaylen Brown said. “He blew through all screens, he was active, and, yeah, he came to play.”

The Celtics dug too big a hole (and didn’t have the energy to climb out of it)

The Celtics fell behind by 21 in the first quarter, and they just never really recovered. They were lacking energy, they missed a ton of shots, and they turned the ball over a ton. On the other end, they couldn't stop anyone, setting the tone for a game where six Hawks had at least 13 points. 

“Just one of those nights,” Joe Mazzulla said. “They played better than us. They got the best of us … Just a bad day at the office.” 

They paid dearly for every mistake

Boston turned it over 16 times, giving up 23 Hawks points. Almost every turnover Boston committed was costly. Again, Daniels was a big part of this, grabbing five of Atlanta’s 11 steals. 

As much as I want to credit Atlanta’s defense for all of this, there were some ridiculously bad turnovers. Luka Garza ran a dribble hand-off where he handed it to the Hawks like a waiter serving a poolside gin and tonic. That was partly miscommunication and partly bad execution, but was also partly heads lodged firmly in their nether regions for too much of the game. 

“I don't think we played to our standard tonight,” Brown said. “I don't think I played to my standard tonight, and that was a part of it … it just comes down to us coming out with the right intention, the right energy and navigating the season, and tonight wasn't the best example of that.”

They got out-shot by a lot 

The Hawks shot 18-42 (42.9%) from three, while the Celtics shot 9-34 (26.5%). Boston is never going to win a game when the other team hits twice as many threes.  

Jaylen Brown was 0-5. Payton Pritchard was 0-3. Derrick White was 1-5. 

This was actually their fifth-worst three-point shooting night of the season, and all five of those games were losses. They are 2-7 when they shoot below 30%

The Hawks, meanwhile, caught fire early and kept on roaring. 

“Some teams have made us pay,” Brown said. “Obviously that some of them we could be better, maybe a few better closeouts. Definitely some possessions that we probably can improve on, but we also want to protect the basket as best as we can because we're small. We got to fly out a little bit better, but teams that don't normally shoot well have shot well against us a couple of times and that's cost us.”

Jaylen Brown had an off night

He was 9-20 overall and just looked sluggish. 

“The team feeds off of my energy as well, so being a leader, I got to be better,” Brown said. “Tonight I just didn't have it. We just got to get ready for the next one, continue to navigate the season. It's not going to be perfect every single night. It's the part of the year where it gets tough physically, mentally. You just got to find ways to inspire and spark your team to come out and get victory.”

Brown did not do that last part. He was -24 in an 11-point loss. Only Payton Pritchard (-30) was worse. 

Amari Williams came back to earth

He got his second career start, played the first 10 minutes, and then didn’t come back in until garbage time. He had a couple of turnovers, and then he reverted to the passive kind of guy he was early in the Chicago game. 

This should have been a good matchup for him. His athleticism could have helped a lot. I wish I could put Josh Minott’s enthusiasm in Williams’ body. That would be fun. 

The Celtics needed some kind of spark from someone tonight. Williams could have been a great energy guy for them on a night they needed one. My biggest criticism of him right now is that he retreats into a bit of a cocoon in these situations. 

OTHER NOTES: 

• Payton Pritchard and Derrick White combined to shoot 10-24 and 1-8 on three pointers. The size seemed to bother Pritchard and, like everyone else, neither of these guys seemed to have any juice. 
• The Hawks had six players with at least 13 points. 
• Luka Garza: 11 points, 5-10 fg, five offensive rebounds, six assists. He also had four turnovers. 
• Jaylen Brown’s final line: 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists. 
• Baylor Scheierman gave them good energy. He was TOO fired up when he first checked in, firing a few three-pointers that should have been passes. But I’d rather get that and tell him to dial it back than get what Amari Williams did and have to pull an aggressive game out of him. 
• Joe Mazzulla picked up a technical foul and had to be restrained on the sideline after not getting foul call. 

“Usually, you don't see the exact same situation happen within seconds,” Mazzulla said. “And the exact same situation happened, and it was handled differently … I think it was a little bit to get your point across, a little bit to try and spark the team and whatnot. But you don't usually see those exact same situations kind of happen right away.”