Instant Takeaways From Atlanta's Big Win Over Boston

While the game on Friday in Boston did not go the Hawks way, they found a way to get the Celtics back tonight and win a huge game at home against their Eastern Conference rival.

The Hawks rode a strong defensive performance and strong games from Onyeka Okongwu, Dyson Daniels, and Jalen Johnson on the other end of the floor to secure their 16th win in the last 18 games.

Let's breakdown the biggest takeaways from tonight's game.

1. Defense led the way

The Hawks defense was rock solid tonight against the Celtics, a team that leads the NBA in three point attempts per game.

Atlanta finished the game with a 100.6 defensive rating (very good) and Boston only shot 41% from the field and 38% from three. Atlanta also held Boston star Jaylen Brown to 9-29 shooting from the field and 3-9 from three.

The Hawks defense was the key to them winnning and it was a good effort from Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jonathan Kuminga, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. If Atlanta can keep playing this level of defense, they will be a playoff threat.

2. Bench got solid production

The box score numbers don't do it justice, but Jonathan Kuminga and Zaccharie Risacher played fantastic games.

Risacher was 3-3 from three, scoring nine points, but he played excellent defense on Derrick White and did not allow him to make an impact on the offensive end.

Kuminga has been up and down as a Hawk since a hot start, but tonight was his best performance in a while. He scored 10 points, pulled in six rebounds, and finished with a +10, the highest of the Hawks bench.

The bench for Atlanta is a huge discussion point for how good this team can actually be in the postseason, but if they get anything like they got tonight, it makes them that much more dangerous.

3. Bounce back game for Onyeka Okongwu

In Friday's loss to the Celtics, it was a rough game for Onyeka Okongwu. He finished with eight points and did not shoot well from three, but he flipped that around tonight, especially with a big third quarter.

Okongwu finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 4-10 from three, including three straight makes in the third quarter to really help the Hawks close down the stretch. His shooting is one of the key factors for the Hawks offense and against a team like Boston, every make counts.

4. Big win for the playoff picture

The Hawks have six games left and while they play one of the toughest stretches of games in the NBA, this win tonight was huge.

With this win, the Hawks have now pulled even with the Raptors for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and with the 76ers loss to the Heat tonight, they are 1.5 games ahead of Philly in the standings, as well as three games ahead of both Miami and Orlando and 3.5 ahead of Charlotte.

The Hawks have been mired in play-in tournament mediocrity, but wins like tonight help pull Atlanta further away from that.