BSJ Game Report: Celtics 123, Hawks 93 - Tatum drops an easy 28 to end C's road trip

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

IN A NUTSHELL

Jayson Tatum had another monster first quarter, scoring 16 points to fuel a five-point lead. The teams traded runs in the second, with Atlanta going 11-3 to start the quarter and take a four-point lead and then Boston answering with a 34-9 run to go up 22 at the half. They slowed down and casually added six to their lead in the third, and cruised from there. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

Queta's first start: Neemias Queta got his first career NBA start as the Celtics continue to go with big lineups when a wing isn't available. It wasn't always pretty, but he slowly figured it out. 

"He's just grown a lot as a player," Joe Mazzulla said. "And quite honestly, he doesn't know how good he can be. He's got a great ceiling, so the standard's very high." 

Tatum leads 3-point barrage: The first half was the competitive half. The Celtics slowed things down after halftime, attacked more as Atlanta's defense adjusted, and cruised to the finish line. Tatum his six of his first eight from deep, then missed six in a row, but he and the Celtics had done their damage. They shot 15-34 from 3 in the first half compared to 4-20 for the Hawks. Boston cooled off to shoot 3-21 in the second half, but they took 25 shots in the paint to balance things out. 

Trae Young kept in check: Young left with a rib injury after playing 23 minutes and scoring just two points on 1-10 shooting and no free throws. He had been on a streak of 70 straight games with at least 10 points and five assists. It was the 4th-longest such streak in NBA history, and he did have six assists on some incredible passes, but the Celtics defense was all over him. The only shot he hit was a ridiculous runner with his toe on the 3-point line. 

TURNING POINT

Boston’s 34-9 run turned what was looking to be a tough, sloppy track meet into a blowout. The Hawks were cooked after that. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Jayson Tatum: Holy hot shooting night. He finished 6-14 from 3 and that's AFTER he cooled off a bit in the third quarter. He was hitting ridiculous shots all over the floor. Whenever he’s hitting like that, you can forget about having a chance. The key for Tatum now is to understand that one hot night doesn’t mean every shot Wednesday night should be a 3. 

But more than that, he had nine assists, six rebounds, and two steals. He coasted through the third quarter and didn’t play in the fourth. 

"It's a really well-balanced game by him," Joe Mazzulla said after the game. "He found advantages just creating space, he got a couple in transition, he drove. He had a good balance of shooting 3s and driving in the first half, and then they started to hit, and then he was just making plays, and then he had five assists in the third quarter. So just a well-rounded game by him."

- Neemias Queta: He’s the story of the game in that he got his first NBA start, made a few nice plays, and ended up tied with Derrick White as a team-best +31. He had some issues defensively early on but he settled in as the game went on.

- Fast break points: The Hawks didn’t get a transition bucket until the fourth quarter and they finished with only two. Boston outscored Atlanta 35-4, which is a big reason why the Celtics were able to pile up points quickly. 

- Jrue Holiday and Derrick White: You know why. 

They combined for 37 on 15-27 shooting (6-15 3pt), nine rebounds, and eight assists. White filled up the stat sheet (except for the blocks, where he got none) and got a little solo run early in the fourth quarter with the bench to tack on a couple extra buckets. Both of these guys were great in their spots, moving, cutting, and making shots. 

- Al Horford: He’s here just for this shot: 

Okay, he had a solid night, too. Five rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocks (including one of a corner 3), and an age-defying reverse layup. 

Payton Pritchard: 18 points off the bench, stepping up with 12 first-half points to help fill the void left by Jaylen Brown’s absence. 

- Jordan Walsh and Jaden Springer defense: I think both of these guys showed some great individual defensive ability. They each had two steals and Walsh had a block. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Rim defense: This was mostly in the first half, and especially in the second quarter run Atlanta made. Boston has been giving up a ton of points in the paint all season long, and the 56 allowed in this game doesn’t help things. They allowed 34 of those in the first half. Luke Kornet looked especially bad in that stretch, looking a bit indecisive on Atlanta drives. 

- Bigs not finishing: Again, a bigger problem early on, but it felt like there was a disconnect between the guards and the bigs for a while. I’m tempted to chalk it up to a lack of chemistry, but it was happening with Kornet out there, too, so I don’t think that's it. I just think the connection was off. Maybe Atlanta’s athleticism was a problem for them.

- Baylor Scheierman: He was 0-3 in eight minutes. The man needs some G League reps in a bad way. 

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

C’s need to chill with the step-back 3s: I’ve honed in on this as my one real issue with Boston’s 3-point shooting. As I’ve said many times, I don’t care about the volume if they are good shots generated by ball movement, or in-rhythm, off-the-dribble shots against retreating defenders.

My biggest issue is the scrambling, step-back shots. I’m not saying ALL step-back 3s are bad. The best I can get to, though, is that some of those shots are fine. A lot of them aren’t, and I think when the C’s are starting to get a little 3-happy, the first symptom is step-backs when better drive-and-kick opportunities are available.

And I get it, not every shot is going to be perfect. Sometimes the clock is winding down and a guy needs to make a play. Plus, it’s the NBA. These guys are great at making tough shots. 

“Some of them are heat checks,” Tatum said after the game. “Some of them are late shot clock. Some of them, you’re feeling good.” 

So as much as we all need to accept some of the 3-pointers won’t be great, the Celtics also need to accept there's a line where the defense needs to be manipulated. Some of those step-backs can be traded for better shots and a more fluid offense. 

Next up: The Celtics return home to face the Warriors on Wednesday night.