Atlanta Hawks (43-33) beat Boston Celtics (50-25) 112-102 at home on Monday, March 30.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Celtics struck first, taking the opening quarter 30-29 and a 1-point lead after one. The Hawks pulled even with a 25-24 second quarter, sending the game to halftime tied at 54.
The Hawks won the third 36-22 to turn the game around, taking a 14-point lead into the fourth. The Celtics took the fourth 26-22; the Hawks held on for a 112-102 regulation win.
What decided it
The Hawks took better care of the ball, turning it over on 10.9% of possessions compared with 14.8% for the Celtics. The Hawks got more from their shots, finishing at 54.9% effective field-goal shooting compared with 49.4% for the Celtics. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Celtics did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 21.2 against 12. The Hawks made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 101 possessions per team, the Hawks produced 110.9 points per 100 possessions to 101 for the Celtics.
The Celtics' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 35-23.
Who made the difference
Luka Garza was the game's biggest individual force for BOS: 20 pts, 9 reb, 1 ast on 8-9 shooting. His Game Score of 21 led everyone. His team was +6 with him on the floor.
Onyeka Okongwu led the Hawks with 20 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl on 7-14 shooting, good for a 19.8 Game Score.
Jalen Johnson (20 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast), Onyeka Okongwu (20 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast), and Jaylen Brown (29 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 48% for the Hawks.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Hawks are now 43-33, and the Celtics are 50-25. The Hawks 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.