The Boston Celtics took their first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks, winning Game 6, 128-120, Thursday night at State Farm Arena.
The Celtics punched their ticket to the semifinal round, setting up a matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics had one job and they got it done.
With a second shot at a closeout win, Boston needed to put Atlanta away and not give the Hawks yet another shot at overcoming an improbable 3-1 series deficit. But the Hawks weren’t going away without a fight.
Atlanta came out firing after Boston quickly snagged a 12-2 lead to being the game, ensuring that the Celtics would earn their way to a series win. The Hawks were instantly aggressive on the offensive side, attacking mismatches and reaching for an outside shooting performance — 15-for-35 — similar to the one that uplifted them in Game 3. Whether it was DeAndre Hunter, John Collins or Bogdon Bogdonavic off the bench, Atlanta pulled out all the stops.
But none of it was enough to push a do-or-die Game 7 because this time, the Celtics didn’t fumble the fourth quarter.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 62 points to lead the Celtics, while Boston’s bench added 27 points, shooting 10-of-20. The C’s went a pivotal 11-0 run, which was finished off by a jaw-dropping Tatum put-back dunk to send Boston to round 2.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Brown came up huge for the Celtics all night. In the first half, he knocked down four outside shots to keep the Hawks from taking a major lead. The 26-year-old scored 32 points, connecting on various big-time shots, including a game-tying three to knot the score up at 113 a piece in the fourth quarter. Brown shot 13-of-25 from the field and also grabbed five rebounds.
— Tatum finished the night with his fourth double-double of the playoffs, scoring 30 points while grabbing 14 along with seven assists, shooting 11-of-20 from the field. The C’s are now 22-1 all-time when the Jays both score over 30 points.
— Trae Young kept the Hawks within reach, recording a team-leading 30 points. The long-range, trigger-happy guard, however, cooled off in the second half, going 1-for-12 from the field in the final two frames.
WAGER WATCH
Brown was a big helping hand in matching Atlanta’s early intensity, catching fire from 3-point range. FanDuel Sportsbook set the over/under on Brown’s 3-point total at 2.5 with -113 odds on the Over. By halftime, the All-Star cleared those odds, knocking down four of his first six attempts from beyond the arc. A $100 wager placed on Brown would’ve resulted in a $188.50 total payout.
UP NEXT
Moving on, the Celtics will begin their best-of-seven series with the 76ers on Monday night at TD Garden.
