The Atlanta Hawks on Monday produced a comeback for the ages to overturn a 30-point deficit and defeat the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics 120-118.
Boston, who were confirmed as having clinched the Eastern Conference’s top seed earlier on Monday, appeared to be cruising toward a resounding win after outscoring Atlanta 44-22 in the first quarter.
The Celtics raced into a 30-point advantage midway through the second quarter before Atlanta woke up and began chipping into the Boston lead.
Photo: AFP
The Hawks kept the rally going into the second half, narrowing the gap further with a 34-22 third quarter before harnessing that momentum into the fourth quarter to complete a dramatic win.
De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks scoring with 24 points, including a decisive three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining that gave Atlanta a four-point cushion and effectively made the game safe.
Hunter was backed with 22 points from Bogdan Bogdanovic, while Dejounte Murray finished with 19 points, 15 assists and five rebounds.
Photo: AP
Hawks coach Quin Snyder praised the unrelenting support of the Atlanta home crowd in helping drive his team to a remarkable victory.
“Tonight the way we started the game, and the way Boston started, their energy really gave us a lift,” Snyder said of the Atlanta fans. “Anytime you’re down that much you have to have something out of the ordinary a little bit to get back in the game and when you have a group of people you know who are behind you thick or thin, rain or shine — and there was a lot of rain early — they were a big part of helping the sun come out tonight.”
Atlanta improved to 32-39 and remained in 10th place in the East, on course for a spot in the play-in tournament.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said his team paid the price for not killing the game off, adding that Atlanta’s physicality had caused his team problems in the second half.
“It’s a good lesson,” Mazzulla said. “Credit to them for battling back. I thought their physicality — they were extremely physical as soon as the ball got past half-court. I thought that messed up our offense, and they made us work for everything.”
Elsewhere on Monday, it was:
‧ Bulls 105, Wizards 107
‧ Cavaliers 115, Hornets 92
‧ Clippers 116, Pacers 133
‧ Jazz 105, Mavericks 115
‧ Kings 108, 76ers 96
‧ Knicks 124, Pistons 99
‧ Nuggets 128, Grizzlies 103
‧ Raptors 88, Nets 96
‧ Rockets 110, Trail Blazers 92
‧ Spurs 104, Suns 102
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