ATLANTA (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 41 points, Sam Hauser led a 3-point barrage in the second quarter and the Boston Celtics blew away the Atlanta Hawks 132-106 on Saturday night.
The Celtics put this one away with a 52-point outburst in the second quarter, stretching what had been a fairly competitive opening period to an 82-51 laugher at halftime.
Boston barely missed at all in the second, knocking down 19 of 25 shots — including 11 of 15 beyond the 3-point
arc. Hauser was perfect on his six attempts from long range in the period, and Brown dazzled inside and out. On a strong drive to the hoop in the final seconds of the half, he flexed his muscles for the State Farm Arena crowd, as if to say the Hawks had no chance of stopping him.
Brown had 29 points by halftime, combining with Hauser (21 points) to nearly outscore the entire Hawks team. The Celtics reached triple figures well before the midway point of the third period and stretched their lead to 43 points before both teams cleared their benches.
Hauser tied his career high with 10 3-pointers, accounting his season-best 30 points. Anfernee Simons chipped in with 14 points, connecting on 4 of 8 outside the stripe.
Atlanta dropped its third in a row coming off a West Coast road trip and the blockbuster trade that sent star guard Trae Young to the Wizards.
Onyeka Okongwu had 21 points on a night when the Hawks shot a miserable 37% (38 of 102) from the field.
Boston: Travels to Detroit on Monday to face the East-leading Pistons in a matchup of the top teams in the conference.
Atlanta: Hosts the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday in the annual game honoring the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday.
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