Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 110-99 win over the Hawks in quickie form.
HEADLINES
15 in a row: The victory gives Boston the fifth-longest winning streak in franchise history, putting them just four games shy of tying the most consecutive wins in Celtics history (19 by 2008-09 Celtics). Out of the thousands of individual team seasons in NBA history, only 24 specific squads have put together a longer winning streak than 15 games, putting this team among some elite company.
Comeback kids: The Celtics have a habit of making things hard on themselves lately and that trend continued on Saturday night as the visitors trailed by 16 points for the fourth consecutive game after a hot shooting start by the Hawks. The Celtics quickly erased that deficit though in the middle two quarters, thanks to some strong play from Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart in the second quarter and Jaylen Brown and Kyrie Irving in the third quarter. Slowly but surely, the C’s offensive found a rhythm and helped them pull away down the stretch of their eighth straight road win.
Incredible night from the backcourt: Irving (30 points) and Brown (27 points) both had their best shooting nights as Celtics. Brown’s output was a career-high, but the efficiency of Boston’s starting backcourt is what deserves the most headlines. Each player was on fire from the perimeter, combining to shooting an electric 80 percent from the field (20-of-25) and 75 percent from 3-point range (9-of-12). The duo scored 36 of Boston’s 66 points in the second half, wreaking havoc against a Hawks defense all night long.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics erased nearly all of the Hawks’ 15-point deficit in the early stages of the second quarter on the backs of Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart. The duo combined to score all 15 points for the visitors during the team’s 15-4 run to start the period, getting the C’s back into the game immediately. Boston’s offense found their rhythm from there after a sluggish start (20 first-quarter points) and the C’s combined to outscore the Hawks by a 90-64 margin over the final three frames.
TWO UP
Brown: The 21-year-old scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time in his pro career, as he continues to show an improved level of consistency in his second season. He’s also red-hot from 3-point range (7-of-14) in his past two contests, giving the C’s offense a legitimate second or third scoring option on most nights in place of Gordon Hayward.
Irving: The All-Star guard was having the worst shooting season of his career entering the Hawks game, but his efficiency on Saturday night certainly provided a major boost to his percentages. He scored 30 points for the Celtics on 10-of-12 shooting (a season-best accuracy wise) from the field and didn’t miss during the second half (6-of-6 FG, 4-of-4 FT), as the visitors erupted with a 67 point second half and season-high 36 point quarter behind his shooting.
TWO DOWN
Shane Larkin’s shooting: The scrappy point guard provided some nice defense in his two stints off the bench but he continues to struggle with his shooting since a 16-point outburst against the Hornets a couple weeks back. Larkin was scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting tonight and is just 1-of-14 from the field in his last three games.
Daniel Theis: It’s not really his fault, but with Morris getting his rhythm back, the German rookie is quickly turning into the odd man out of the rotation most nights. He was pulled after just three minutes and a couple turnovers on Saturday night as Brad Stevens has stayed away from playing him with Aron Baynes together much with a bench unit that’s been struggling to score.
INJURIES
None
TOP PLAY
The Rook goes coast to coast! #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes pic.twitter.com/Z52ulTbtfl
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 19, 2017