The Boston Celtics survived the hell in Atlanta on Thursday, and already have a place in the second round of the playoffs after beating the Hawks 120-128 and placing 2-4 in the series. Joe Mazzulla's men achieved a very suffered victory that they could not secure until the final minutes. Once again Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were the standout players with 32 and 30 points respectively.
In the Hawks, the scoring was more distributed and six players finished the game with double figures. Trae Young was the standout player with 30 points, followed by De'Andre Hunter with 20.
In a very even match where the Atlanta team was able to force a tie up to 15 times, the Celtics pushed in the final minutes and achieved a 0-11 run. Three consecutive 3-pointers by Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum finished off a Hawks whose efforts failed to turn the game around.
With 2:07 left to play, Jayson Tatum made a spectacular dunk that put the Celtics eight points ahead on the scoreboard (113-121). With 18.8 seconds to go, the hosts tried to close the gap after John Collins conceded a shot from Tatum. However, the staunch defense of the Boston team did not allow the Hawks to connect a pass.
"We have talked about closing the game. I felt that during the previous match, in general, we were good. Today, however, that feeling of urgency appeared. We understood how important it was not to extend this tie any longer", valued Horford, player of the Boston Celtics who was key with 10 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks.
Despite the loss, the Hawks ended the season on a high note, and Trae Young took the opportunity to praise the work of his coach, Quin Snyder. "He is the future. With him here we can win the championship, now it's about bringing the right pieces...I think it will be good for us and I'm excited," he said.
The Celtics, for their part, made it to the second phase of the playoffs where they will face the Philadelphia 76ers.
