Celtics 91, Hawks 100

Game Highlights

Photo of the Game

Josh Smith (left) and Kevin Garnett (right) reach for a loose ball during Friday night's game in Atlanta.
Kevin C. Cox/NBAE/Getty

By Marc D'Amico
Celtics.com

Key Moment

The Boston Celtics did all they could to fight back into this game, but in the end, Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford made too many big plays to overcome.

The biggest play of the night may have come from Crawford in the final minutes of the game. With the Atlanta's lead hovering at seven with just over a minute remaining, Rajon Rondo kicked a pass out to Rasheed Wallace for a wide open 3-point shot. Sheed's three wasn't on the mark, but Rondo rose up for the offensive board to give the C's some life. As he surveyed the floor, he saw Ray Allen spotted up at the top of the key behind the 3-point line and zipped a pass in his direction. But before the pass made it into Allen's hands, Crawford intercepted it in stride and took it the length of the floor for an uncontested flush.

That dunk, which upped Crawford's point total to a team-high 28, gave Atlanta a nine-point lead with only 1:05 remaining in the game and essentially shut the door on Boston's comeback attempt. He made plays all night long, but there was none bigger than that.

Key Box Score Line

After a dreadful 12-point performance Thursday night in Orlando, Paul Pierce came out of the tunnel ready to put the team on his back tonight. He did so with his game-high 35 points and was a one-man wrecking crew in the second half. He almost single handedly brought the Celtics back into the game and had one of the best shooting performances of his career.

Box Score Nuggets

• Joe Johnson scored 16 fourth-quarter points for Atlanta.
• The Hawks finished with 29 fast break points to Boston's eight.
• Four technical fouls and one flagrant foul were called in the game.
• Each team finished with seven offensive rebounds.
• Jamal Crawford (28 points) and Joe Johnson (27 points) were the only Hawks to score more than 12 points in the game.
• Every Boston starter had a positive plus/minus rating, but every reserve had a negative plus/minus rating.
• Atlanta recorded only 15 assists in the game.
• Boston shot only 41.9 percent in the game.
• The Celtics shot 26-of-30 from the free throw line.
• Boston's bench was outscored 44-18.
• Kendrick Perkins recorded eight points and 12 rebounds in only 23 minutes of playing time.
• Kevin Garnett finished the night with 15 points and seven rebounds.
• Jamal Crawford hit a half-court buzzer-beater to go into the half, giving the Hawks a 53-41 lead.
• Atlanta scored 25 fast break points in the first half, but only four in the second half.

Quote of the Night

Atlanta Hawks Head Coach Mike Woodson on the physicality of tonight's game: "(It was a) playoff game. They let it go both ways, everybody was banging and bodies were flying around."