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Winners of two straight video games on their dwelling courtroom, the Boston Celtics hit the highway on Friday evening to aim the toughest feat in any playoff sequence: profitable their first sport on the highway. However regardless of hitting a whopping 21 three-pointers on the night, the Celtics discovered themselves overwhelmed by a red-hot Atlanta Hawks offense, lacking out on an opportunity to take a commanding 3-0 sequence lead with a 130-122 loss.
Jayson Tatum led the best way this night with a 29-10-5-2 stat line. Behind him was a complete outing from the deep Boston guard room, with Marcus Good, Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon combining for 43 factors and 10 made threes. The Hawks reversed the script of the sequence up to now, nonetheless, scoring seemingly at will and sustaining management of the sport from wire-to-wire. Seven Hawks scored in double figures, led by 32 factors and 9 assists from Trae Younger in what was simply his greatest efficiency of the sequence so far.
After a sluggish begin noticed them fall behind by double-digits early in Sport 2, the Celtics discovered a greater tempo out of the gate in Sport 3. They hit 9 threes and raced out to 37 first quarter factors, 19 of which got here from Tatum and the newly topped Sixth Man of the Yr, Malcolm Brogdon. Nonetheless, the protection that had excelled within the first two video games of the sequence appeared a bit lax this time round, permitting the Hawks to shoot higher than 50% from the sector and rating 33 factors of their very own. It was apparently early — this was not going to be a defense-forward sport.
The Hawks have had a minimum of one large run in each sport of the sequence so far, and this time, it appeared to return at first of the second quarter. They jumped forward on a 12-5 benefit to begin the quarter, although Good’s third and fourth three-pointers of the evening slowed the advance barely. Atlanta’s offense was simply completely cooking. The Hawks shot 65% from the sector within the first half — together with 35 factors from their bench — and even 15 threes from the Celtics couldn’t cease them from piling up a double-digit lead. A 9-2 Boston run late within the quarter evened the chances considerably, however the Celtics trailed on the halftime break by seven, 74-76.
4 minutes into the second half, the sport was tied as soon as once more. Boston opened the half on a 12-5 run, knotting the sport up at 79-all with eight minutes to play within the third. The Hawks retaliated shortly, restoring an eight-point edge, however the frenetic offensive tempo of the sport lastly slowed within the ensuing minutes. Each groups got here again to Earth considerably, with the Celtics significantly struggling to transform on various second likelihood alternatives. The quarter in a nutshell: Brogdon missed on a wide-open three-point try within the ultimate minute, and Robert Williams III grabbed the following board however missed the put-back dunk. The Celtics entered the ultimate quarter trailing by seven factors, 100-93.
Grant Williams discovered his method again into the rotation after a pair of DNP-CDs to open the sequence, and he regarded energized in his return to the courtroom. He had his arms in all the pieces this night, cashing in on all 4 of his threes, dishing two assists, swiping a steal and drawing a cost. He lifted the Celtics in a serious method this night, and should have restored an everyday rotation for himself going ahead this postseason.
An 11-0 Boston run spanning the tip of the third quarter into the early minutes of the fourth as soon as once more introduced the Celtics with placing distance of the lead. They stayed inside one possession of the Hawks for the early minutes of the quarter, however consecutive buckets by Younger and De’Andre Hunter put Atlanta again forward by seven with seven minutes to play. This sport was clearly going to return all the way down to the wire.
A Tatum dunk introduced the Celtics again inside three with simply over 4 minutes remaining in regulation, prompting a timeout from Hawks coach Quin Snyder. Again-and-forth the 2 groups went for the subsequent a number of possessions, with Boston gaining only a level on the Hawks over the subsequent two minutes of sport time. With two minutes to play, a nook three from Younger — having fun with his greatest sport of the sequence so far — gave the Hawks a five-point edge.
Factors got here shortly over the subsequent minute. Boston responded to Younger’s three with a layup from Good, which was shortly erased by a nook three from Murray, which itself was then erased by a 3 from Good. In a vital sequence, the Celtics lastly discovered a defensive cease, however Tatum couldn’t join on the game-tying three on the following possession, and a Younger floater once more pushed the Hawks forward 5 with simply 45 seconds remaining. This proved to be the defining second of the evening — Brown missed a three-pointer on the subsequent Celtics possession, and that was the Celtics’ final gasp for the night.
Subsequent up, the sequence will proceed to roll ahead this weekend, because the Celtics keep in Atlanta for Sport 4 in opposition to the Hawks this Sunday at 7 PM EST on TNT.
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