Hawks 97, Celtics 86

Game Highlights

Photo of the Game

Josh Smith of the Hawks and Kendrick Perkins rise high above the rim to grab a rebound off of a missed shot.
Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty

By Marc D'Amico
Celtics.com

Key Moment

Boston entered the fourth quarter having clawed back to within two, but the Atlanta Hawks were sniffing a huge road win and played fantastic in the final period. Atlanta extended their lead to 10 points just 3:26 into the final period and the momentum was essentially theirs for the remainder of the game.

The Celtics and their crowd were hoping for a comeback, and there was a moment where that thought seemed to be feasible. Rajon Rondo stole the ball from Joe Johnson and scored a driving layup on the ensuing fast break to cut the lead to seven at the 7:03 mark. Seven points in seven minutes is nothing close to insurmountable, and the Garden faithful felt the same way. But just over a minute later, the Hawks put together a four-point possession that capped their victory.

Joe Johnson hit a free throw after Boston was called for a defensive three second violation, with Paul Pierce the culprit, and then Jamal Crawford put the ice on Atlanta's win with a convention three-point play. His fade-away jumper in the lane stole the life from Celtics fans and sent many of them heading to the exit. Had that four-point possession not occurred and the C's created a defensive stop, the outcome may have been different. But tonight, the Hawks made the plays when it counted.

Key Box Score Line

After the game, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Doc Rivers all spoke about the fact that this was the first true one-on-one squad the Celtics had faced all season and that they simply couldn't defend them effectively. Chalk that one up to Joe Johnson, who was shredding the Celtics' defense at every opportunity. He shot nearly 50 percent for the game and got to the rim consistently, putting pressure on the Celtics' defense.

Box Score Nuggets

• Boston recorded only 20 assists, more than six below their league-leading average of 26.6 APG.
• The Hawks outrebounded the Celtics by a count of 47-29.
• Atlanta recorded 16 offensive rebounds and 22 second chance points, compared to six offensive boards and four second chance points for the C's.
• Boston shot only 1-of-15 from 3-point range and the teams combined to make only five of 30 shots from downtown.
• Rajon Rondo took only four shots and finished with four points.
• The Celtics out-shot the Hawks, making 49.4 percent of their field goals compared to 45.2 percent shooting from Atlanta.
• Boston was crushed on the boards but still managed to dominate the paint offensively, winning the points in the paint battle by a count of 58-44.
• Atlanta scored 24 or more points in three separate quarters. The only other team to do that against Boston through 10 games was Phoenix, who handed the C's their only other loss of the young season.
• The Celtics struggled yet again from the free throw line, making only 13 of their 19 attempts from the charity stripe.

Quote of the Night

Doc Rivers on if tonight's loss felt any different than their first defeat against Phoenix: "No, I just think they kicked our butt, honestly. I think they were better tonight. It doesn't feel any -- I think all losses, to me, feel the same, whether we're tired or not. We were fresh and well-practiced; they just beat us."