The Atlanta Hawks were in action against the Boston Celtics on Friday evening. The Hawks were looking for their fourth straight win after getting out of Detroit two days ago with an overtime victory. As for the Celtics, they came in after a big win against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Hawks may have caught a little break in this matchup, as Jaylen Brown was ruled out with Achilles tendinitis. On the Hawks’ side, Jock Landale was ruled out with a right shoulder impingement.
Jalen Johnson came out
hot from the perimeter, knocking down two three-pointers early.
It wasn’t just Johnson, but CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker knocked one apiece to extend the Hawks’ lead.
The Hawks kept their foot on the gas in the first, making it hard for the Celtics to get anything on offense, and on the other end, generating good shots.
Johnson was still feeling it in the first, and hit this turnaround jumper.
The Hawks by as much as 17 points, but the Celtics didn’t lie down for long. They made their run, and the Hawks’ offense stalled down the stretch of the quarter. Going into the second, the Hawks only led 29-26.
It was a solid start to the second for Hawks, and they were able to extend their lead to nine after a deep three-pointer from Corey Kispert.
The Celtics once again went on a run, and they tied the game this time as the Hawks’ struggles on offense continued. After some time, the Hawks were able to find their rhythm again, as Onyeka Okongwu knocked down this open three-pointer.
Johnson broke the tie with this shot.
When the Hawks run, good things happen, and that means that somebody is probably open. In this case, it was Alexander-Walker under the rim by himself.
Going into halftime, the Hawks led 60-55.
It was another good start to the quarter for the Hawks, and McCollum seems to always come through in these moments.
Alexander-Walker thrived in transition for the Hawks, and helped extend their lead after these two layups.
Payton Pritchard continued to be the thorn on the Hawks’ side, as he kept making three-pointers and gave the Celtics the lead. Johnson did what he could to keep the Hawks afloat and got this easy dunk.
Zaccharie Risacher knocked down a three-pointer with quickness.
When it looked like the Celtics were going to go on a run, the Hawks were quick to get something going on offense. That helped them to only trail 87-82 going into the fourth.
It was a struggle for the Hawks to get much offense going in the fourth, and that led to the Celtics going up by double digits. The defense is what kept them in it, and they were eventually able to find some type of flow on offense.
The Hawks got back to their bread and butter, as the ball movement led to an open three for McCollum.
The Hawks tried their best to get back into the game, but there were several foul calls that went against them at crucial points. A late loose-ball foul gave the Celtics another opportunity, which led to free throws, and a few possessions later, Tatum was fouled on the three-point line.
In the end, the Hawks’ offense affected them in the second half, and they were never able to get into a flow, while the Celtics made enough plays in the end to get the victory.
Johnson finished with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, McCollum finished with 21 points, and Alexander-Walker finished with 20 points.
The Hawks will be back in action tomorrow against the Sacramento Kings
