BSJ Game Report: Hawks 130, Celtics 122 - Hawks get hot, take Game 3

Everything you need to know about the Celtics Game 3 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics were bombing away early, going 9-16 from deep in the first quarter but only taking a 4 point lead. The Hawks started cold but exploded in the second quarter, hitting everything in sight and taking a 14 point lead. The Celtics answered with a run started by Malcolm Brogdon that extended past halftime to tie the game early in the third. The Hawks answered with a run of their own to push the lead back out to 7 to start the fourth. The Celtics kept the game close in the fourth, but they never could quite make the shot to tie or take the lead, while the Hawks made some ridiculous ones to take Game 3. 

Box Score

HEADLINES 

Just as expected: There is some level of freakout going on with some fans, but this is exactly how I said the series would go. The Hawks got big games from Saddiq Bey, Jaylen Johnson, and Bogdan Bogdanovic to support the one-two punch of Dejounte Murray and Trae Young finally hitting some shots. 

Need to rebound better: The Celtics were out-rebounded 57-38. Boston lost the second chance points battle 23-9, so not only did the Hawks get too many offensive boards, the Celtics didn't get their usual amount. The fourth quarter featured too much one-and-done offense for the Celtics and the Hawks kept possessions going on forever. 

Eye on Marcus Smart’s back: He took a wicked fall but stayed in the game. Adrenaline was probably enough to keep him going at the end, but it’s worth wondering if it is going to be something that costs him Game 4. I doubt it, but we’ll see. 

“Same spot as the last time,” he said of the fall. “Just caught me off guard, the fall. We'll see how I feel in the morning."

TURNING POINT

With Boston down just 2, the Hawks had a four shot possession that included two “team offensive rebounds” where the ball went off a Celtic out of bounds (one was the Smart fall). The possession ended with Young hitting a wild, off-balance 3-pointer. Boston had chances to tie after that, but that possession put the pressure on Boston and they didn’t respond. 

THREE UP

Marcus Smart: His 3-point shooting kept the Celtics hanging around early and his defense in the fourth quarter gave Boston chances to either get back into the game or tie it up. I feel like if he was able to secure the rebound on that fall, this game would have ended differently. He finished with 24 points on 9-19 shooting and 5-12 from 3. 

Grant Williams: Shout out to Williams for going a perfect 4-4 and doing a little bit of everything in this game. He took a big charge, he made some good defensive plays … Not a bad night for a guy who sat out the past two games. 

Malcolm Brogdon: He was maybe Boston’s most consistent player in this game. He probably should have had the ball in his hands more down the stretch to help close the game out. Finished with 17 points and 5 assists. 

THREE DOWN

Jaylen Brown: Here’s what I wrote in the preview:

“I’ve been saying Celtics in five, and I’m going to stick to that even though my gut is telling me four feels more likely. I’ll give the Hawks the respect that an NBA playoff team at home after losing the first two games will be desperate and focused while the Celtics might be a little cool and too relaxed. I think Brown’s first playoff game at home might lead to him playing outside of himself as well.”

He was in foul trouble all night and he never seemed comfortable. He was 0-4 from 3 and he had 3 turnovers. He finished with just 15 points. One could argue that a normal Jaylen Brown night would have won the game. 

Jayson Tatum: His second half was not very good. Even with Brown’s bad night, a normal Tatum second half would have been huge. 

"I gotta play better, I think,” Tatum told reporters after the game. “I had some timely turnovers, especially some reads at the rim. Maybe try and get fouled. I gotta do a better job of making decisions. This one tonight is on me."

He had 3 turnovers in the second half and he missed all 5 of his 3-pointers. Tatum and Brown were 0-7 from deep in the second half. 

Robert Williams: Too much of a non-factor in this game. Just 4 points, 5 rebounds, and zero blocked shots. He’s too important to this team to have this little of a defensive impact. 

TOP PLAYS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Give Atlanta credit 

Let’s give credit where credit is due. The Hawks came out desperate and focused and they turned that into points. They attacked the basket and took advantage of Boston’s drop coverage to hit mid-range shots and get comfortable. 

They made the important plays to win the game. Before we go any further, we just have to give the Hawks their due. 

I don’t think the Celtics came in and played down to their competition. This really wasn’t one of those games. Did the Celtics play their best? No, of course not, but it wasn’t the typical lazy kind of game we’ve seen from them. 

They gave Atlanta an opening. The Hawks took it. 

- Falling in love with the 3

Offensively, the Celtics had a monster 3-point shooting first half and it probably cost them in the second half because they gave up on a few too many opportunities to get to the rim hoping to recapture their first half magic. 

There are a lot of things we can point to in this game and say “if this was different they might have won,” and that's because the game was close and so many things could have changed the tone of this game. However, the biggest one, to me, was on the offensive side of the ball where the Celtics turned down chances to get to the rim. 

The ripple effect is that the 3-point misses lead to long rebounds and transition chances for the Hawks. Even if those missed, the Hawks were getting offensive rebounds. If the Celtics had just done what they’d been doing in Game 1 and 2, they could have not only put up points, but they would have set their defense. 

So I don’t blame the Celtics for taking a bunch of 3-pointers, but I do blame them for taking them too quickly, too often in the second half. Getting to the rim is proven to work against the Hawks. Do it more in Game 4 and put this thing away. 

Next up: Game 4 is Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. in Atlanta