Boston Celtics clobber Atlanta Hawks to end two-game skid
The Boston Celtics snapped their two-game losing skid with a huge 99-76 win over the Atlanta Hawks despite playing without starting point guard Rajon Rondo on Monday 22 November at the Philips
Arena in Atlanta.
NBA assists leader Rondo was sidelined for the second-straight game with a left hamstring injury, but Nate Robinson started in place of him for the Celtics and provided a huge lift as he
finished the game with 16 points on 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the three-point line to go with 10 assists.
Kevin Garnett also had an outstanding night as he tallied 17 points, nine in the first quarter, and 11 rebounds, while Paul Pierce and Shaquille O’Neal posted 13 points apiece for the Celtics,
who came out strong defensively and took an early 26-point lead at the end of the first period.
“We came into the game completely with a defensive mindset,” said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. “The offensive was terrific, but the reason we got early offense was we got stops and we were
able to run. You could see their defensive disposition right at the start was terrific. When we play like that, we're a really good team.”
Garnett, who blasted his team-mates for their poor defence in their two-straight losses against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Toronto Raptors, was also impressed with the way they defended
the Hawks, especially Joe Johnson, who was only limited to six points on 2-for-10 shooting.
“I wish we could bottle this and put it on the shelf or something,” said Garnett, who shot 8-for-10 from the field. “It was imperative to come out with a lot of energy. We played defence
for 48 minutes.”
Mike Bibby had 11 points, while Jamal Crawford, Josh Powell, and Jordan Crawford added 10 points each for the Hawks, who were dominated by the defending Eastern Conference champions from
start to finish, disappointing head coach Larry Drew.
“This was very embarrassing,” said Drew. "Very, very embarrassing, very embarrassing. If I had one word to sum it up: embarrassing.”
The Hawks, who only scored 13 points in the first period on 4-for-17 clip from the field, absorbed their sixth defeat in their last eight games after the season with a 6-0 record.
“We're not coming out ready to play,” Drew said. “I'm not seeing any urgency. I am not seeing any passion. We are not playing like we want it. We are not playing hard enough. It's very, very
disturbing.”
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