Celtics 115, Hawks 104: Jerryd Bayless scored 21 of his season-high 29 points in the second half to lead six Boston players in double figures as the host Celtics pulled away to beat slumping Atlanta.
Rajon Rondo tallied 22 points and 11 assists for the Celtics, who snapped a five-game skid. Jeff Green contributed 17 points and eight rebounds and Brandon Bass added 14 points and eight boards while Gerald Wallace chipped in 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Boston.
Jeff Teague poured in 26 points and DeMarre Carroll added 24 to lead the Hawks, who have dropped 10 of their last 11. Kyle Korver went 4-for-5 from 3-point range en route to 17 points and Louis Williams added 13 off the bench for Atlanta.
Atlanta's lead was as large as 15 early, but Boston reeled off a 25-6 run spanning the first and second quarters to surge ahead. The Celtics led 58-56 at the break and got 12 third-quarter points from Bayless to maintain the two-point margin entering the fourth.
The Hawks were still within one after Shelvin Mack hit the first of two free throws with 6:43 left, but an 11-3 burst from Boston stretched out the lead and Atlanta never threatened again. The Celtics went 8-for-8 from the foul line in the fourth quarter -- and 21-of-23 overall -- to put it away.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Korver hit his first four 3-point attempts, extending his NBA-record streak to 126 games with at least one from behind the arc. … Boston was without forward Jared Sullinger (concussion), guard Avery Bradley (ankle) and center Kelly Olynyk (toe), while Atlanta was missing All-Star forward Paul Millsap (knee). … Bayless finished two shy of his career high set in 2009 with Portland and matched in 2010 with Toronto.
Atlanta | Boston | |
Jeff Teague 26 | Scoring | Jerryd Bayless 29 |
Shelvin Mack 8 | Assists | Rajon Rondo 11 |
Elton Brand 7 | Rebounds | Gerald Wallace 10 |
Jeff Teague 6 | Free Throws Made | Rajon Rondo 5 |
Jeff Teague 2 | Steals | Rajon Rondo 3 |
Elton Brand 5 | Blocks | Brandon Bass 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Atlanta | 104 | 50.0 | 9-19 | 19-24 | 23 | 29 | 6 | 6 | 18 |
Boston | 115 | 47.8 | 8-22 | 21-23 | 24 | 46 | 1 | 10 | 15 |