Everything you need to know about the Hawks’ 112-106 win over the Celtics in quickie form.
Box Score
HEADLINES
Starters look good before taking fourth quarter off: With nothing at stake for the Celtics in the standings, Brad Stevens kept his foot on the gas in this one for the first three quarters, before resting his regulars down the stretch. Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 19 points in 29 minutes, leading a group of six Celtics regular in double figures in the defeat. Al Horford added 16 points and seven rebounds, while Terry Rozier flirted with a triple-double (10 points, 8 rebounds 9 assists) before handing things off to the reserves. The undermanned second unit was outscored by a frisky Hawks team 36-24 in the fourth quarter to run away with the road win.
What a move by Tatum! ? pic.twitter.com/r78Dy1ClAN
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 8, 2018
C's locked into No. 27 pick for 2018 NBA Draft:
With just two games remaining in the regular season, the Celtics now know where they will be picking in the 2018 NBA Draft. They are now guaranteed to finish with the fourth-best record in the league, which slots them at No. 27 for this year’s draft. The slot has produced some steals in recent years, including Kyle Kuzma, Rudy Gobert and Larry Nance Jr.
Bird outplays Nader again:
While neither player is likely to see any action in the postseason, the battle for a playoff roster spot continued on Sunday night. Bird is trying to play his way into a spot (nine points, five rebounds) and he’s continually outproducing Abdel Nader with his performance on both ends of the floor. It should create a little drama over the next couple games to see if Bird can continue to tip the scales in his favor.
TURNING POINT
The Hawks closed out a back-and-forth fourth quarter with a 6-0 run to end the game. The Celtics missed their final four shots from the field over the last minute and a half, leading Atlanta to their second-straight win.
TWO UP
Horford:
The veteran scored in double digits for the seventh consecutive game, a season-high mark for him. He’s averaging 15 ppg on 52.8 percent shooting over that stretch and has drilled 10 of his 16 attempts from 3-point range during the run. These are very encouraging numbers for a Celtics team that will need increased offensive production from him this postseason.
Semi Ojeleye:
The rookie scored a career-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field in just 27 minutes. He also hit all three of his 3-point attempts, which pushed his 3-point accuracy mark for the year to 31.9 percent. That’s the highest it’s been since the first couple months of the year.
ONE DOWN
Shane Larkin:
The reserve point guard dished out seven assists over 21 minutes but he really struggled with his jumper after his second game back. He missed all five of his 3-point attempts and went 2-of-9 from the field. Larkin has been a streaky shooter all year long despite his respectable 35.8 percent shooting mark from downtown. Boston is going to need him to snap out of the funk before next weekend.
TOP PLAY
??? pic.twitter.com/zBacsIQc9c
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 8, 2018
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
I don’t get what the Hawks are doing by winning games now:
Atlanta has put together a perfect tank job this year, lingering towards the cellar of the NBA standings all year long, while also shutting down several key regulars down the stretch. They were well positioned to finish with the second- or third-worst record in the NBA before this weekend, but they have managed to use their B team to pull out tight games against the Wizards and Celtics in the past 48 hours. Those victories bring Atlanta back towards the lottery pack, which could end up costing them a chance at an elite prospect in this top-heavy draft class. If I’m a Hawks fan, I have to be livid at how things have played out, especially since this roster doesn’t have many building blocks in place yet.
Jayson Tatum might lead this team in scoring during the postseason:
Stevens said a couple weeks ago the rookie was peaking and it’s hard to argue with him based on the aggressiveness that Tatum has shown on the offensive end over the past few weeks. He led the team in shot attempts on Sunday and is playing with more confidence than I’ve seen from him all year with the ball in his hands. There is no clear-cut No. 1 option on this team without Kyrie Irving in the fold, but Tatum looks ready to take on that responsibility as the postseason begins next weekend.
