Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 109-106 win over the Hawks with BSJ insight and analysis:
Box Score
HEADLINES
Theis saves the day: Daniel Theis blocked a potential game-winning 3 from Trae Young with five seconds remaining, helping the C's complete a double-digit comeback and escape with a 109-106 win over the Hawks at the TD garden.
WHO SAYS THE CELTICS NEED A CENTER!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? pic.twitter.com/dvQqULR3LJ
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) January 4, 2020
The C's rallied behind the play of Brown, however, while also getting 18 points and 6 rebounds from Gordon Hayward along with 15 points and 9 assists from Marcus Smart, who started for Walker. The C's led by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter, but some miscues late and some craftiness from Trae Young (28 points, 10 assists) gave the Hawks a chance at the victory before Theis capped his night with a big block (14 points, 6 rebounds).
The C's now find themselves in sole position of second place in the East with the win and a back-to-back looming in Chicago on Saturday night.
An ugly shooting night from the perimeter: The Celtics had their third-worst shooting night of the season from 3-point range, knocking down just 24 percent of their attempts from downtown. They hit a season-low six 3-point field goals in total but managed to overcome that lackluster perimeter production with a big night at the free-throw line (29 attempts) and in the paint (62-34 edge over the Hawks).
TURNING POINT
Jaylen Brown snapped the Celtics out of their first-quarter slump in the final minute of the frame, putting together a pair of steals that led to transition baskets and jumpstarted Boston with a 10-0 run. With that burst, the C’s cut an 18-point first-quarter deficit to two by halftime.
TWO UP
Jaylen Brown: The swingman scored 20+ points for the 17th time in 28 games, which sets a new career-high for 20+ points games for the fourth-year pro. He’s averaging 24.7 points on 58.3 percent shooting during his last seven games.
Enes Kanter: The veteran center put together another double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, marking the first time he’s produced a double-double in consecutive games. He’s shooting 66.7 percent from the field over the last two contests and drew the biggest cheer of the night after his monster dunk in the fourth quarter.
TWO DOWN
Jayson Tatum at the rim: The forward went to the rim constantly in the first half but couldn’t get any kind of rhythm during the entire night, misfiring on 14 of his 16 shot attempts with the vast majority of those coming as misses in the paint.
The first quarter: The Celtics were dismal at both ends of the floor early, shooting just 30 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from 3-point range while allowing the NBA’s worst team to shoot 52 percent from the field in the midst of falling behind by double digits.
TOP PLAY
MY GOODNESS KANTER ? pic.twitter.com/mKiHQXXOS6
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 4, 2020
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
The Celtics didn’t let their poor outside shooting sink them in this game: It was an ugly effort from the very start of this one but an improved offensive mentality helped Boston in this affair. Last season, the C’s would have probably fired away endlessly from downtown even on a bad night, but the hosts decided to attack the paint in this one to get back in the game. Despite shooting an ugly 6-of-25 from 3-point range, the C’s managed to score 90 points in the final three quarters thanks to 62 points in the paint and 29 free throw attempts. Brown and Tatum were relentless in going at the basket (which didn’t work out well for Tatum) but his 10 free throw attempts were big. Meanwhile, Kanter and Theis had big nights finishing in the interior, which was a needed boost with Walker sidelined.
The Hawks shouldn’t trade for Andre Drummond: They already have one of the best rolling bigs in the league in John Collins, who played great before exiting with a bruised tailbone in the third quarter. With Young-and-Collins emerging as a great pick-and-roll duo together, throwing in a limited center like Drummond on a bloated contract does not seem like a good fit for this team. He has serious limitations guarding the perimeter and clearly is not a good shooter, which would not be a good match for this fast-paced offense. For now, the Hawks have a couple promising young pieces in Young and Collins, but they shouldn’t give up anything for an overpaid center. Instead, bringing in some wings that looked a bit better than their uninspiring rookie class of De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish should be the bigger priority.