BSJ Game Report: Boston Celtics 105, Atlanta Hawks 95 - Jayson Tatum's 25 point half leads aggressive C's to comeback win

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics win over the Atlanta Hawks with BSJ insight and analysis. 

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics came out a little sleepy on the 2 PM start, playing a lot like the pre-streak Celtics early on. They only put up 17 points in the first quarter, but Derrick White came in and helped trim the lead to single digits in the second but Atlanta put together another run to push the lead to 10 at the half Boston trounced them in the third quarter 42-23, and held through a slog of a 4th quarter for their eighth straight win. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

Attacking offense turns game around: Boston hit the magic number with 50 points in the paint, 27 of which came in the third quarter. 

“We had gotten a lot of good looks that didn’t fall, but we had settled a little bit from the perimeter at times, especially against favorable matchups,” Ime Udoka said after the game. “So we talked about being more aggressive there and attacking for yourself or others. Got downhill better in that quarter but also guarded at a high level and kind of flipped the game. 42-23 in that quarter.”

Derrick White impactful again: He was one point off from leading the team in +/- in both games since joining the team. He’s already making a major impact by doing a lot of the little things that others weren’t able to. 

“He does a lot of the little things as well as some of the big things,” Udoka said. “But a guy that really kind of changes the pace out there. He’s a really good point-five guy, makes quick decisions, makes the right read most of the time. He had some open looks that he’ll knock down, but in general played the right way. And then he’s another guy with versatility on the defensive end.”

Celtics alone in 6th: The Celtics are now 33-25 with the East’s best scoring differential. They might catch a break on Tuesday in Philadelphia with James Harden still nursing a sore hamstring. That doesn’t make that game easy, but the Sixers without Seth Curry leaves them without a valuable weapon. 

Boston is two games behind Philly. A win Tuesday would cut that to one. If Philly loses to Milwaukee in the last game before the break, and if Boston closes this out with a win over Detroit, the Celtics COULD go into the All-Star break tied for 5th. It’s absolutely a tall order, but the fact that it’s possible says a lot.

TURNING POINT

The Celtics came out with an aggressive mindset to start the third quarter, whipping off a 12-0 run to tie the game early on and then just relentlessly attacking the middle. De’Andre Hunter committed four personal fouls in 1:28 at the start to take himself out of the game, helping the Celtics get going. 

This is what the third quarter shot chart looked like: 

This is what it’s supposed to look like. I’ll toss in the two late offensive rebounds Robert Williams and Marcus Smart to push the fourth quarter lead back into double digits as a second, mini turning point. 

FOUR UP

Jayson Tatum: A monster second half takeover for Tatum. 25 of his 38 came after the half where he shot 8-14 (3-4 3pt) and took and hit 6 free throws. It came after another frustrating 1-6 start from deep. 

"I don't get down on myself and I'm not going to stop shooting but it's just frustrating," he said "As a scorer, you feel like every shot should go in. You get a decent look or a good look that you don't often get and you should always make those. When it doesn't go in, you kind of kick yourself in the foot. To see one go in, you kind of get it off your back and everything kind of opens up even more."

Derrick White: He didn’t shoot well, but it’s almost surprising to see that in the box score considering the impact he made. 

“Derrick is a threat. You gotta respect him, you got to guard him,” Jaylen Brown said. “It just opens the floor up for everybody else. Having Derrick out there as just another guy who just fits right in. Capable shooter, can also drive and make plays for others and is another guy ont he defensive end who can help us get stops, take charges, etc. So it's been great having him out there.”

Grant Williams: Also not a big statistical night, but he had a few timely plays and some really good defense. 

Al Horford: Broke his cold streak to hit some important early shots, but also was part of some strong Celtics defense switching out onto the perimeter to bother shots. 

TWO UP AND DOWN

Jaylen Brown: He was a big part of that third quarter run, scoring 11 of his 17 in his best stint of the night, so I wouldn't say he had a bad game. But he also was part of the early struggles and his fourth quarter 1-on-3 drives where he got stuck trying to force the issue let the Hawks back into the game. I don’t want to just kill him for the mistakes because he also did some good things. 

Marcus Smart: He led the team with 7 assists and he settled down in the second half to make some really important plays on both ends. His first half, though, was not great and his first quarter was bad. He backed off the shooting after halftime and was back to making a positive impact.

TOP PLAYS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Derrick White gives Boston what they lost in Gordon Hayward

When the Celtics were going through their worst, there were a few people wondering out loud how much this team missed Hayward. 

For all the consternation about his injuries, Hayward filled an important role for the Celtics. He was the mister do-it-all who could handle the ball, initiate the offense, spot up, drive, and defend multiple positions. Without such a player, the Celtics were forced to rely on Tatum and Brown to be all things to all people, but their own games suffered a bit while they tried to adjust. 

Enter White, who not only can be a little bit of everything, he likes the role and thrives in it. 

“It’s less stagnant obviously. More guys that can attack,” Udoka said. “And whether he’s making the pass or receiving it, he’s making the right read most of the time. So we talk about quick decisions all the time. Just shooting the open ones or driving and kicking or finding bigs at the rim. So his passing ability, scoring ability, shooting ability. And then you don’t miss a beat on the defensive side. So that’s why he’s so valuable for us.”

They got a little bit of that from Josh Richardson and a little bit from Dennis Schroder, but having it all in one place in White is exceptionally helpful. 

“That’s what you kind of rely on night in and night out,” Udoka said. “He does a lot of the little things as well as some of the big things. But a guy that really kind of changes the pace out there. He’s a really good point-five guy, makes quick decisions, makes the right read most of the time. He had some open looks that he’ll knock down, but in general played the right way. And then he’s another guy with versatility on the defensive end.”

A lot of people have looked to this stretch of games to prove Boston’s recent run is real. They beat the Nuggets and Hawks after going into each halftime down and making mistakes. They beat each team going away, and now twice White has put his fingerprints all over the win. 

He’s not flashy, but he’s showing exactly why the Celtics wanted him.