The Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks continue their first-round series on Sunday in Atlanta. The Celtics took both games in Boston, by 12 and 13 points, to take a 2-0 lead before the Hawks bounced back at home on Friday night to cut Boston's series lead in half. Atlanta now will attempt to tie the series in game four before returning to Boston. The opening tap is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST.
The NHL, NBA, and Major League Baseball…oh my! Check out all my premium picks for a variety of premium events. My Best Bet of the Week is only $49.99 (usually $100) if you use this link. Take advantage of this as this comes with a profit guarantee. Win or get the money back in credit!
The Boston Celtics lost a chance to put the Hawks on the brink of elimination with a 130-122 loss in Atlanta on Friday night. The Celtics, after holding the Hawks to 102.5 points per game in the two games in Boston, watched the Hawks shoot 56% in game three. Jayson Tatum had 29 points in the loss but missed an open three-point field goal with under a minute to go that would have tied the game. With the loss, the Celtics' dynamic duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown ended their 15-game winning streak in first-round playoff games.
“I thought we let some of their role guys get hot,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “The second quarter dictated the game, where Bogdanovic and [Saddiq] Bey kind of made a huge difference when Trae Young went out. It gave them life and I thought they played a pretty complete game.
“So, in a close game like that, not only do you want to focu s on the end of the game, but you also want to focus on the runs that led to that. I thought that second quarter did that.”
Our late rally wasn't enough to secure the win tonight in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/qKoV7eLbrB
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 22, 2023
The Celtics have some things to clean up after an ugly effort in game two. Boston's defense was nearly non-existent in the game after being so dominant in games one and two. The Celtics didn't have a blocked shot in the game and allowed the Hawks free reign in the paint. Atlanta led the points in the paint battle, 54-40. Boston also allowed 16 offensive rebounds and allowed Atlanta to shoot 56% from the field. Transition was an issue for Boston as well, allowing Atlanta 29 points off of turnovers compared with just 12 points off turnovers themselves.