addByline("Taylor Snow", "Celtics.com", "taylorcsnow");
BOSTON – Building big first-half leads over Boston-area teams is not a good omen for Atlanta-based teams on NFL Championship Sunday.
In February of 2017, the New England Patriots famously overcame a 25-point deficit against the Atlanta Falcons to win the Lombardi Trophy.
And on Sunday afternoon, the Boston Celtics overcame a 15-point first-half deficit against the Atlanta Hawks for a 105-95 win, extending their win streak to eight games prior to the NFL’s big game later that night.
The Hawks took off on a 28-13 run out of the gates at TD Garden, which eventually turned into a 55-45 halftime lead over the Celtics. Both teams shot an identical 17-of-45 clip from the field during the first half, although Atlanta had made five more 3-pointers and five more free-throws than the C’s at that point.
During his team’s halftime discussion, head coach Ime Udoka said it was time to change up their offensive approach while also bringing more intensity on the other end.
“We felt we didn’t play our best defensive first half,” Udoka said after the game. “Offensively we had gotten a lot of good looks that didn’t fall, but we had settled a little bit from the perimeter at times, especially against favorable matchups. So we talked about being more aggressive there and attacking for yourself or others.”
The message got through, as Boston began attacking downhill out of the break, allowing them to take a 42-23 third-quarter advantage. Of those 42 points, 27 were scored either inside the paint or from the free-throw line, as Atlanta had no answer for Boston’s interior attack.
Jayson Tatum led the charge, scoring 16 of his game-high 38 points during the third frame.
“We were generating good looks,” said Tatum, who also grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots. “We talked about getting stops, getting out in transition, and attacking the basket. If [the Hawks] overhelp, then we kick it out, but try not to settle as much. And that’s what we did.”
From a defensive standpoint, Boston, saw improvement as each quarter wore on. The Celts allowed 28 points in the first quarter, 27 in the second, 23 in the third, and just 17 in the final frame. They also did a solid job of limiting All-Star point guard Trae Young’s scoring production, as he was held to an inefficient 9-of-26 from the field.
“We always know we can buckle down and lock in where we need to defensively,” said Udoka, who now has the top-ranked defense in the Eastern Conference. “And on the nights when shots aren’t falling we can grind it out.”
Boston didn’t grind out many wins in the first half of the season, but they have pulled off quite a few victories of such nature in recent times.
Jaylen Brown said he’s proud of the way the group has been stepping up and is encouraged by how they’ve been able to prevent fourth-quarter comebacks of late.
“We’re stepping up and making plays,” Brown said of the team’s late-game execution after logging a 17-point, nine-rebound effort. “We have a lot of guys making plays right now, and that’s what we need to do in the fourth quarter. So we’ve been finding ways to win – offensively, getting timely baskets, and we've been sealing out games.”
As a result of their recent success in closing out opponents, the Celtics have begun climbing up the standings. They now own the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference with a 33-25 mark and now find themselves just one win behind the Philadelphia 76ers.
Philadelphia also happens to be the next stop for the C’s, as they’ll look to continue their winning streak against the Sixers and their new star duo of Joel Embiid and James Harden on Tuesday night.