Boston Celtics (49-24) beat Atlanta Hawks (41-33) 109-102 at home on Friday, March 27.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Hawks had the better start, winning the first 29-26 to lead by 3 after one. The Hawks kept the pressure on with a 31-29 second quarter, carrying a 5-point lead into halftime.
The Celtics won the third 32-22 to turn the game around, taking a 5-point lead into the fourth. The Celtics took the fourth 22-20; the Celtics finished the job for a 109-102 regulation win.
What decided it
The Celtics grabbed 34.2% of their own misses, while the Hawks recovered 20.4%. The Celtics got more from their shots, finishing at 55.6% effective field-goal shooting compared with 47.7% for the Hawks. The second chances kept adding up.
The Hawks did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 4.4 against 16.1. The Celtics made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 92 possessions per team, the Celtics produced 118 points per 100 possessions to 110.5 for the Hawks.
Who made the difference
Payton Pritchard was the game's biggest individual force for BOS: 36 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast on 13-23 shooting. His Game Score of 25.4 led everyone. His team was +26 with him on the floor.
Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 29 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast on 9-21 shooting, good for a 23.6 Game Score.
Jayson Tatum (26 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Celtics about a 75% chance.
Across the last 5 meetings in our records, Atlanta Hawks lead 3-2.
The Celtics are now 49-24, and the Hawks are 41-33. The Celtics last five before this game: W-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.