Second-half comeback spring Atlanta Hawks to home win over Boston Celtics, 109-105

By E. Marcel Pourtout, Editor

Coming back from a 23-point first-half deficit, the Atlanta Hawks emerged with a 109-105 home win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at Philips Arena.

Atlanta (10-6) has now won its last three contests and four of its five while the loss was Boston’s (4-11) fifth consecutive defeat.

Kyle Korver had a team-high 24 points and six rebounds for the Hawks. Paul Millsap scored 19 points while Al Horford had 16. Dennis Schroder (15 points) and Pero Antic (10 points) each had scored in double-figures off the bench.

“You have to give Boston credit,” Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer said. “They shot the ball and executed well. Our aggressiveness and activity wasn’t where it needed to be for a half. I give our guys a lot of credit for finding a way to bounce back and giving ourselves a chance to win a tough game. I’m really proud of our group.”

Trailing 66-50 at halftime, Atlanta outscored Boston 30-19 to cut the lead to 85-80 heading into the fourth quarter.

Schroder’s layup with 10:48 left in the contest gave Atlanta an 87-85 lead, the first lead it held since the first quarter when it had an 8-7 lead.

The score was tied at 92-all with eight minutes left in the game when consecutive baskets by Schroder and Horford gave Atlanta the 96-92 advantage with 6:28 left.

Atlanta held a 106-99 lead with 1:24 left when Boston’s Jared Sullinger hit a left corner three pointer to bring the Celtics within four. He finished the game with 22 points and nine rebounds.

After a Schroder free throw, a three-point play from Jeff Green cut Atlanta’s lead to 107-105 with 50 seconds remaining. Green had a game-high 25 points in the loss.

With 23.8 seconds left, the Hawks forced a miss from Green on Boston’s final possession to secure the victory.

“I thought clearly (the Hawks) were the aggressor and were more physical (than us),” Boston coach Brad Stevens said. “I think we lost some focus on finding each other and playing together. We started doing things that we don’t do individually well.”

After shooting for 61.4 percent from the field in the first half, the Celtics finished with a percentage of 48.8. Atlanta shot 52.4 percent in the game.

Rajon Rondo had a unique stat line from the contest. He dished out a game-high 19 assists along with 12 rebounds but made only one of eight shot attempts, finishing with only two points. He also had seven turnovers in the loss.

The Hawks struggled defensively to start the contest and trailed Boston 42-30 after the first quarter. It was the most points Atlanta has given up in a quarter this season, surpassing the 41 points allowed to Cleveland on Nov. 15 earlier this year. The Celtics shot 77 percent from the field in the first quarter as well.

Boston continued their hot shooting in the second quarter, taking a 66-50 lead into halftime. The Celtics shot 61 percent from the field in the first half, the highest percentage a Hawks’ opponent has shot in a half this season. Green had a game-high 16 points at the half while Avery Bradley (14 points) and Sullinger (12 points) were also in double-figures. Rondo had a game-high 14 assists in the first half as well for Boston.

Korver had a team-high 11 points in the first half while Millsap had 10. The Hawks shot 44 percent from the field through the first two quarters.