The current vice-champions, the Boston Celtics team, played a great game against the Atlanta Hawks at the State Farm Arena and had no mercy on the host, they won with a convincing 101:126.
Boston opened the game brilliantly and already after the first part foreshadowed the disaster of the hosts, they led by 30:18. By halftime, the Hawks team consolidated and unlike the first 12 minutes, where they scored only 18 points, they were much more efficient in the second half and went to rest with a one-digit deficit, 53:62.
The third quarter was marked by 7 three-pointers by the Boston team and a 19-point advantage before the last quarter. Until the end, the vice-champions did not relax, so they further increased their advantage until the end and celebrated with a final score of 101:126.
The Boston Celtics shot three-pointers brilliantly again, hitting 21 out of 46 attempts, while Atlanta on the other hand had a miserable 7 out of 32.
Trae Young was the best individual in Atlanta, scoring 27 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists. He was followed by DejpunteMurray with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists.
Jaylen Brown led the list of scorers in Boston, with 22 points. Jason Tatum added 19 points, along with 7 rebounds and 8 assists. The game of the season was played by Grant Williams, who scored 18 points, with the 4th three-pointer hit, while Sam Hauser was the best behind the line at 6.75, hitting the 5th three-pointer from the 6th attempt.
Boston is the leader in the East, with 12 wins and 3 losses, while Atlanta is third with 9 wins and 6 losses. The Celtics will visit the Pelicans in the next round, while the Hawks will welcome the Raptors.
