Entering Friday’s Game 3, the Hawks had led for a total of just 10:46 this series. Also, none of the 10:46 had come outside of the first quarter.
The Celtics have had their way with the Hawks, but Friday was a different story, with Atlanta coming out on top with a 130-122 victory — Atlanta’s first win in six meetings vs. Boston.
Despite scoring 67 first-half points on 23-for-45 (51.1%) shooting from the field while going 15 of 25 (60%) from three, the Celtics found themselves down by seven at the half. If not for the great start from the offense, the C’s could’ve been trailing by much more.
Boston’s defense had been a strength in Games 1 and 2, but the C’s struggled mightily on that end in Game 3. Atlanta put 74 points in the first half, which set a new franchise playoff record for most points scored in any half in Hawks history. Atlanta put up 41 points in the second quarter, marking just the seventh time this season that the Celtics defense allowed at least 40 points in a quarter.
Atlanta finished the night shooting 51 of 91 (56%) from the field and 15-for-34 (44.1%) from deep. It was just the ninth time this season the Hawks finished a game shooting above 56%. It was Trae Young that led the way for the Hawks with a game-high 32 points, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter, on 12-for-22 (54.5%) shooting.
The Hawks also got major contributions from their bench unit. Led by Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Atlanta bench poured in 44 points on an absurd 16 of 22 (72.7%) shooting. Boston has done a good job slowing down Atlanta’s bench, which was second in scoring and first in offensive rating this season after hiring Quin Snyder, but the C’s had no answer on Friday.
Where Boston really got beat was down low, as the Hawks got whatever they wanted inside all night. Atlanta scored 54 points in the paint, and out-rebounded the C’s 48-29. The Hawks snagged 11 offensive rebounds, which resulted in 23 second chance points for Atlanta. Rebounding has been an emphasis for the Celtics throughout this series, and that is what ultimately cost them Friday’s contest.
Despite all the defensive miscues, Boston had multiple chances to pull ahead, courtesy of a late rally, but couldn’t string together stops. Though the performance on the defensive end of the floor was ugly, to say the least, there is no need to worry about the Celtics and their defensive play.
Atlanta finished the regular season third in points per game, averaging 118.4, and were suffocated by Boston’s defense in Games 1 and 2. Friday was an incredible night offensively for Atlanta, and it will be tough for them to duplicate that against a Celtics defense that finished the regular season second in total defense and entered Game 3 also second in postseason defense.