Collins, Young help streaking Hawks beat Celtics 108-92

Published Jan. 28, 2022 10:20 p.m. ET

Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — John Collins and Trae Young each scored 21 points, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Boston Celtics 108-92 on Friday night for their sixth straight victory.

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 points for Atlanta, and Danilo Gallinari had 14 on 5-for-5 shooting from the field. The Hawks shot 46.1%, compared to 34.9% for the Celtics.

Jaylen Brown had 26 points and 12 rebounds for Boston, which had won two straight and seven of 10. Jayson Tatum scored 20 points.

The Celtics were coming off the second-largest margin of victory in franchise history, a 128-75 victory over Sacramento on Tuesday. They pulled within one on Tatum's jumper with 9:42 left, but the Hawks then pulled away for good.

Gallinari's two foul shots sparked an 18-2 run for Atlanta. Bogdanovic made a 3-pointer and Collins converted a foul shots to make it 103-86 with 2:56 left.

Led by Bogdanovic, Atlanta’s reserves outscored Boston’s 43-13.

The Celtics, who began the night eighth in the Eastern Conference, started 1 for 13 on 3s before Josh Richardson connected with 4:27 left in the second. Boston pulled within five late in the second, but Atlanta, which began the night 12th in the East, went on a 10-0 run and led 62-47 at halftime.

TIP-INS

Celtics: Missed 14 of 16 shots beyond the arc in the first half. ... Richardson was called for a technical foul for knocking down Young after an Atlanta basket late in the third. Young pushed the lead to 77-71 with a free throw. ... The team will remain in New Orleans after the game Saturday night because of a winter storm moving into Boston. Plans are to fly home on Sunday.

Hawks: F De’Andre Hunter was a game-time decision with a sore back. He finished with nine points. ... Gallinari was a game-time decision after waking up with an irritated eye. He wore safety glasses during warmups but not during the game. ... Young, the NBA points leader, has joined Dominique Wilkins, Dikembe Mutombo, Eddie Johnson, Pete Maravich and Lou Hudson as the only players in franchise history with more than one All-Star start. ... Atlanta had six steals and seven blocked shots in the first half.

STEPPING UP

Boston coach Ime Udoka liked that Tatum stepped up after the morning shootaround and addressed the team, not something that he does regularly.

“I wouldn’t say often,” Udoka said. “He speaks when he has something on his mind. I echoed his statement after he said it and said, ‘Well said,’ and to his point we’re playing well in certain areas now, but we’ve been here at times before this year and had some slip-ups, so it was great for him to step up and say that.

“It’s something we want more of, and I appreciate it. It’s a sign of growth for him.”

UP NEXT

Celtics: At New Orleans on Saturday.

Hawks: Host the Lakers on Sunday.

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