Three Biggest Takeaways From the Atlanta Hawks Nasty Loss Against the Boston Celtics

The Hawks lose a horrible game at home.

Jan 17, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) is defended by Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser (30) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Tonight, the Hawks came into this one as losers of their last two games on a decent 2-2 West Coast trip, but would look to end that spell as they took on the Boston Celtics. However, things would not go as planned, as the Hawks would continue to struggle, and this game should probably be in the running for worst of the season for Atlanta.

1. Defense was horrendous

the Hawks score right now is pretty emblematic of just how quickly a game an spiral out of control when a team has:

1) absolutely no hope containing the opponents’ best scorer without help

2) aren’t connected enough to pass off assignments once they send that help

— David Lee (@dlee4three) January 18, 2026

The key for the Hawks in this one was how bad the defense was, as they gave up 82 points in the first half and allowed Jaylen Brown to score 29, 18 of those in the first quarter. In the game, the Celtics shot 50% from the field, 42% from three-point range, and made 22 three-pointers while leading by as much as 43 points. Brown would finish the game with 41 points, and another name that did damage was Same Hauser, who would score 21 points in the first half off seven made three-pointers and finished the game with 30 points off 10 three-pointers only.

2. Jalen Johnson

Jan 17, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) dribbles against the Boston Celtics in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The star for this Hawks team is unquestionably Johnson, who would have a very odd off shooting night tonight, as he would score his first field goal in the second quarter and finish the first half with just four points. The reason this was an odd sight is that Johnson is usually on triple-double watch by halftime with near or over double-digit scoring totals, and that wasn't the case. He would finish this game with 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and one steal on 28% shooting from the field, 50% from the free-throw line, and 33% from three-point range.

3. The offense looked lethargic

Hawks down 7 at the end of Q1 after trailing by as many as 10.

Jaylen Brown already has 18 points (on 16 shooting possessions!)

Atlanta is 8-23 from the field.

— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) January 18, 2026

There's no other way to put this loss into perspective other than Atlanta not showing up to play after the first quarter. In the first half, the Hawks shot an abysmal 35% from the field. They turned the ball over five times, which led to 10 points, but the key to their inability to generate a high-paced offense was their inability to get out and run the fast break, as they finished with just 22 fast-break points. The lack of pace stemmed from the Celtics' efficient offense, which prevented the Hawks from consistently securing rebounds and running the fast break as they are used to.

Next up for the Hawks is a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. ET.