Hawks 92, Celtics 91: Paul Millsap racked up season highs of 34 points and 15 rebounds as visiting Atlanta became the latest team to exploit Boston's fourth-quarter woes.
Jeff Teague scored 16 points and Kyle Korver added 14 for the Hawks, who trailed by as many as 18 in the second quarter. Mike Scott contributed eight points and seven rebounds as Atlanta improved to 2-1 since losing leading scorer and rebounder Al Horford to a torn pectoral muscle.
Kelly Olynyk scored 10 of his career-high 21 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Celtics, who have lost four of their last five and blown double-digit leads in three of the defeats. Kris Humphries added 18 points and 10 rebounds in a reserve role, but Boston missed five shots that would have given it the lead in the final 1:21, including Jordan Crawford's fall-away jumper at the buzzer.
The Celtics seemingly took control when they opened the second quarter with a 17-2 run to open an 18-point advantage, but the Hawks closed the half with a 15-2 spurt to get within 44-39. Atlanta kept it going by scoring the first six points of the third quarter, regaining the lead on Teague's driving basket with 9:25 left in the period.
The Hawks opened up a 54-48 lead with just under five minutes left in the third quarter, but Olynyk hit a 3-pointer and Crawford converted a three-point play and drained a 3 as the Celtics charged ahead 57-54 and led by five entering the final stanza. Olynyk and Humphries carried Boston as it stretched the lead out to 83-72 with 6:28 left, but Atlanta produced points on six straight possessions to storm back and took the lead for good on Teague's two free throws with 1:30 remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Korver went 1-for-6 from beyond the arc, extending his NBA-record streak to 101 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer. … The Hawks had their streak of nine straight games scoring at least 100 points come to an end. … Boston's bench outscored its starters 56-35, and no starter reached double digits.
Atlanta | Boston | |
Paul Millsap 34 | Scoring | Kelly Olynyk 21 |
Jeff Teague 6 | Assists | Jordan Crawford 5 |
Paul Millsap 15 | Rebounds | Kris Humphries 10 |
Paul Millsap 10 | Free Throws Made | Brandon Bass 5 |
Paul Millsap 2 | Steals | Jeff Green 2 |
Paul Millsap 2 | Blocks | Courtney Lee 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Atlanta | 92 | 36.3 | 5-29 | 21-25 | 21 | 51 | 4 | 7 | 14 |
Boston | 91 | 41.7 | 5-20 | 16-17 | 28 | 47 | 7 | 6 | 16 |