BOSTON — For the second time in as many home games, some pretty sloppy basketball was played at TD Garden.
The Boston Celtics held a slim lead for most of Friday night but faltered down the stretch, as the Atlanta Hawks went on a 13-2 run late in the fourth quarter to hand the C’s a 109-101 loss.
Isaiah Thomas led all scorers with 29 points and Jae Crowder added a season-high 24, but Boston also committed a season-high 22 turnovers against Atlanta, which hit just 20 percent of its 3-point attempts.
Dennis Schroder led the way for the Hawks with 22 points, while Paul Millsap scored 18 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter to deliver the Celtics their third consecutive loss.
STARTING FIVE
Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, Jared Sullinger
UGLY BALL
The first quarter did not feature very good basketball.
The Celtics somehow emerged from the first frame with a six-point lead despite committing a whopping eight turnovers and missing their first four shots of the game.
Atlanta didn’t do itself any favors, either, shooting just 36 percent from the field in the quarter and missing its first seven 3-point attempts. Fittingly, this is how the quarter ended:
UGLY BALL, PART II
The second quarter didn’t get much better for Boston.
Evan Turner kept the Celtics afloat with a pair of baskets early in the quarter, but Boston hit just one field goal in the final seven minutes of the half.
Atlanta struggled early in the quarter but finally found a bit of a groove down the stretch, going on a 13-4 run to close out the half and cutting its deficit to one point on this monster Al Horford slam:
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Crowder has been with the Celtics exactly one year, and he celebrated that milestone with his best offensive output of the season.
The Boston forward caught fire in the second half, dropping 15 of his 24Â points in the third quarter alone thanks to some sharp shooting from behind the arc.
Crowder carried the offensive load for the Celtics in the frame, as Sullinger (eight points) and Thomas (seven points) were the only other players who scored in the quarter.
MAKING IT RAIN
R.J. Hunter injected some energy into a subdued TD Garden crowd by drilling a pair of big 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter.
Hunter’s long balls put the Celtics up by five points, but it was a lead Boston couldn’t maintain, as Millsap’s strong play down the stretch and a dagger jumer from Horford with just over minute remaining sealed Boston’s fate.
PLAY OF THE NIGHT
Turner found Kelly Olynyk for a pretty incredible halfcourt alley-oop early in the fourth quarter.
UP NEXT
An old friend returns to Boston. The Celtics will welcome Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves to TD Garden on Monday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
