Boston Celtics Squeeze out win over Atlanta Hawks 99 – 76
The game was on, the power was real and another honest effort to make a great come back, if not an altogether eye-pleasing night of work gave the Celtics a 99 – 76 win over the Hawks on their home ground at the Philips Arena, Atlanta.
It was the Celtic’s second consecutive game, having just played a torturous game against the Toronto Raptors, where they fell short by only a single point, losing 101 – 102.
Although it was not an all round perfect effort, the Celtics still maintained good defense efforts in the first and third quarter of the game.
It was a concerted team effort as not even a single player of Celtics went scoreless, even rookie Avery Bradley who made his National Basketball Association (NBA) debut, scored. Nate Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kevin Garnett all had double-doubles, bringing the home crowd to their feet many times during the game.
High Flying Players
David Robinson filled the vacancy of Rajon Rondo and scored the second highest score of the game. Rondon missed his second straight game with a strained left hamstring. Robinson filled the gap of his absence efficiently by scoring 16 points with 10 assists.
Kevin Garnett added 17 points and 11 rebounds and Paul Pierce contributed 13 points with a single assist and 4 rebounds for the Celtics.
On the other hand, the Hawks play was not impressive at all, the leading scorer remained Mike Bibby, with 11 points. Chris Crawford and Josh Powell added 10 points each.
Game Story
The Celtics had a strong hold on their opponents from the get go, leading by an impressive 26, the first quarter ending with a 39-13 score.
The Hawks accelerated the game during the second quarter and by the end of first half of the game, the deficit was cut down to a 22 points lead, the score being 64 – 42.
It was Celtics’ turn in the third quarter, they put on the pressure and boosted their lead to 29 points, to end the third part of the game at 85 - 56.
Although the Hawks struggled much during the final phase of the game and scored 20 points against the 14 points by the Celtics, by that time the play was beyond their reach and the visitor stamped their victory on the faces of the natives.
It was the first win for the Celtics against Atlanta since April 3, 2009. The Hawks have won all four meetings last season. It was Celtics’ turn this time round - being winless last season, the Celtics’ got their revenge in a big way. They improved to 10-4 on the season.
Up Next
Celtics will take on the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday, the 24th of November at TD Garden, Boston while the Hawks are looking to their next game against the Washington Wizards on Thursday, at the Philips Arena, Atlanta.
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