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What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Hawks: Boston Outscores Atlanta 56-33 in the Second Half to Seize Control of the Game
After giving up 65 points in the first half, the Celtics raised their energy and played with more physicality on defense, stifling the Hawks in the final two quarters to earn a 107-98 victory.
The win improves Boston's record to 37-27, and the Celtics are now half a game behind the fifth-place Cavaliers, one back of the fourth-seeded Bucks, and they trail the Sixers, who are in third, by two.
Now, for a look at what stood out in Boston's win.
Injuries, Sloppy Play Mar First Quarter
Less than three minutes into the game, Jaylen Brown rolled his right ankle after stepping on De'Andre Hunter's foot while going to the basket for a transition layup. Not long after that, the Celtics announced he was out for the rest of the game due to a right ankle sprain.
After the game, Ime Udoka said Brown wanted to come back and play, but the Celtics chose to air on the side of caution. Udoka added that Brown's dealing with swelling and soreness, and he'll get re-evaluated tomorrow, but he sounded optimistic this won't sideline Brown long term.
To that end, Marcus Smart said that post-game, Brown assured the team he was ok, and Grant Williams said Brown was "in good spirits."
The Hawks also had a moment of concern in the first quarter when, after shooting a three, Trae Young landed on Marcus Smart's foot. Young stayed down for a few minutes and limped when he got up. The All-Star point guard remained in the game to take the ensuing free throws, then headed for the locker room. Fortunately, he returned to the game.
After Brown's injury, the Celtics had trouble regrouping. Despite their efforts to refocus, they committed five turnovers in the first frame, though they gave up no points off those mistakes.
Both teams struggled to find their rhythm offensively, shooting under 40 percent from the field. That included making less than 15 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. The difference was Atlanta took ten free throws, converting on nine of them. The Hawks closed out the period on a 17-5 run, generating seven of those points at the free-throw line. That allowed Atlanta to take a 28-19 lead into the second quarter.
The Hawks Expand Their Lead in the Second Quarter
The game got worse for the Celtics in the second quarter. They gave up 37 points, again committed five turnovers, and after rallying to give themselves a chance to cut the deficit to single digits with 1:40 left, they faltered down the stretch. As a result, Boston entered the half down by 14.
The Game Turns in the Third Quarter
The Celtics came out with much more energy in the third quarter. They opened the frame on a 14-0 run, erasing their halftime deficit.
After the game, Ime Udoka said it wasn't about yelling and screaming at his team at halftime. He delivered a simple message that he wanted them to up their physicality and "get back to who we are defensively."
The Celtics obliged, playing far more physically on defense, including hounding the Hawks' perimeter players. It led to Atlanta shooting 6/20 (30 percent) from the field and going 1/8 (12.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
A player who exemplified that was Grant Williams, who did an outstanding job defending Trae Young. The Hawks' All-Star point guard had five points on seven shots and failed to get to the free-throw line in the third frame.
It was also noteworthy to see Aaron Nesmith start in the second half. Though he shot 0/5 from the floor, he grabbed six rebounds and earned a plus-minus rating of plus-10 in the win.
Speaking on Nesmith's performance, Udoka said, "Aaron impacted the game without making a shot tonight. He did it with his physicality, defense, energy."
Those stops fueled Boston's offense, making it easier for the Celtics to push the pace. Tatum (11 points) and Derrick White (nine points) carried most of the scoring load for Boston. The Celtics know they can count on the former, but for the latter, who shot 1/5 from three, to adopt a scorers' mindset, attacking off the catch and repeatedly producing points inside the arc, was a development Boston needed in Brown's absence.
Furthermore, the Celtics, who committed ten turnovers in the first half, didn't have any in the third quarter.
In total, the home team outscored the Hawks 31-13 in the period to go from down 14 at halftime to leading by four entering the fourth quarter.
Celtics Keep the Hawks at Bay in the Final Frame
The Celtics' defense didn't let up in the final frame, continuing to play with the physicality that changed the game in the third quarter. They held the Hawks to 20 points in the fourth, as they again shot below 40 percent from the field (36.8 percent) and went 1/8 (12.5 percent) from three.
There was also a pair of fantastic defensive plays by Marcus Smart in the final five minutes to help Boston close out the game.
Boston limited Trae Young to four points in the fourth quarter, meaning that even though he finished with 31, he only had nine in the second half.
Offensively, Tatum did an excellent job putting his teammates in a position to succeed and registered three assists, including feeding Grant Williams for a couple of threes.
It was also noteworthy to see Payton Pritchard in the closing lineup for much of the game's final stages. That opportunity came about because of Jaylen Brown's ankle injury, but it was interesting to see him get more minutes than White, who was Boston's third-leading scorer in the second half, down the stretch. The second-year guard dished out two of his three assists in the fourth quarter before giving way to White to finish the game.
It wasn't the smoothest of stretch runs for the Celtics, including a sequence where they committed three-straight turnovers, but their defense kept the Hawks from salvaging a second half where they got thoroughly outplayed.
In the final two-quarters of Tuesday's win, Boston outscored Atlanta 56-33. Tatum led the way, producing 16 of his 33 points in the second half. As a team, the Celtics shot 50 percent from the field, generated 26 points in the paint, 11 on second-chance opportunities, eight at the free-throw line, seven off turnovers, and they only coughed up the ball twice.
This game truly was a tale of two halves.
Up Next
The Celtics host Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night; The game tips off at 7:30 ET. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
Isaiah Thomas Signs 10-Day Deal with the Hornets
Profile on Celtics' Newest Signing, Matt Ryan
What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Pacers: Indiana's Hot Shooting Sinks C's
Film Study: Marcus Smart's Stellar Two-Way Performance Against the Nets
The Trials, Tribulations, and Growth of Ime Udoka in His First Year as Celtics' Head Coach
