Celtics Wrap: Boston Shakes Slow Start To Down Hawks 110-99, Win 15th Straight

One day, the Boston Celtics will meet a deficit they can’t come back from. But Saturday was not that day.

The Celtics once again found themselves down by double digits, as they trailed the Atlanta Hawks by 16 points early at Philips Arena.

Boston circled the wagons, however. The Celtics cut the lead to six by halftime, and Jaylen Brown, Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum exploded in the second half to push the Celtics to a 110-99 win and extend their winning streak to 15 games.

Irving led the Celtics with 30 points, while Brown added a career-high 27 points and Tatum chipped in with 14. Marcus Morris (14 points) and Marcus Smart (10 points) also scored in double digits.

The Celtics improved to 15-2 with the win, while the Hawks fell to 3-13.

Here’s how it all went down:

STARTING FIVE
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Marcus Morris
C: Al Horford

HOT START FOR THE HAWKS
Long winning streaks often end in blowout losses, and it certainly appeared the Celtics were headed for that during the first quarter. Atlanta used a 13-0 run to take a 15-point lead after the opening stanza.

Kent Bazemore led the Hawks with 11 points, while Taurean Prince added eight. Irving paced the C’s with eight points in the quarter.

THE MIGHT OF MARCUS
With the C’s trailing by double digits entering the second quarter, Boston’s bench and Morris went to work, trimming the Hawks’ lead to six with six minutes to play. Morris and Smart scored 17 straight points for the Celtics during the second-quarter run.

Boston and Atlanta traded blows during the final six minutes of the first half, but the C’s were unable to grab the lead as the Hawks took a 50-44 lead into the break.

Dennis Schroder and Bazemore each scored 11 in the half for Atlanta, while Irving led the Celtics with 11 of his own. Brown and Morris scored 10 each in the half for Boston.

SURGING AHEAD
The Celtics dug themselves out of a huge hole once again in the second half.

The Hawks held Boston at bay until the seven-minute mark of the third quarter, when Irving blew down the lane and finished at the rim to cut Atlanta’s lead to one. After Prince answered with a layup of his own, Brown splashed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 65.

Then Tatum stole the ball from Prince and kicked it ahead to Irving, who found Brown for another trey to give the C’s their first lead since early in the first quarter.

While Brown got the Celtics the lead, Tatum made sure they finished the quarter on top. Each time the Hawks pulled even with Boston in the third, the Duke product was there to put the Celtics back on top.

With the Celtics’ lead cut to one, Tatum blew past a defender and threw down a monster dunk.

Then he went coast-to-coast for a thunderous jam plus the foul.

Boston led 80-77 after three quarters thanks to its two young stars, Brown and Tatum.

CELTICS CLOSE IT OUT
Atlanta continued to give the Celtics fits in the fourth quarter, as the Hawks took a one-point lead with seven minutes to play.

But it was all Boston from that point forward.

Horford drilled a hook shot, and Brown followed with a nifty and-1 layup. After the Hawks cut the lead to four, Irving buried a 3-pointer to push it to seven.

The Hawks wouldn’t get closer than six for the rest of the game, as the C’s capped off their 15th straight win.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GAME
Send it in, Jayson!

UP NEXT
The Celtics will seek their 16th straight win Monday night when they face the Dallas Mavericks. Tip-off from American Airlines Center is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.