Atlanta Hawks Take Down Boston Celtics in 112-102 Win to Notch Second Straight Victory
After falling to the Boston Celtics last Friday, which snapped a three-game winning streak, the Atlanta Hawks took revenge for that loss as they pulled out a close victory at home over the Celtics on Monday night.
Hawks Stay Hot in Late Season Playoff Push
In one of the more surprising hot streaks this season, the Atlanta Hawks have continued to climb the Eastern Conference standings as they’ve now ascended all the way to the 6th place position, with a chance to snag a top 5 playoff seed to boot. The Hawks have been a team on a mission since the end of February, as Atlanta has only lost twice since February 20, and has beaten a plethora of championship contenders over that stretch.
This latest game also showcased why the Hawks are catching fire at the end of the season: their much-improved defense, combined with a balanced attack on offense. Atlanta held the Celtics’ high-powered offense in check for much of the game, as they held Boston to just 41% shooting from the field, while also forcing 15 turnovers on top of that. The Celtics saw just 3 players finish in double digits for the game.
Meanwhile, for the Hawks, almost everyone feasted on offense, with 6 players finishing with over 10 points in the win. The two most notable players on offense for the Hawks were both Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, as they punished the Celtics short-handed front court tonight. Johnson would finish with a strong double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Okongwu would post a similar stat line of 20 points and 10 rebounds, as both players crashed the boards for Atlanta in the win.
Celtics Struggle to Find Offensive Rhythm
As soon as Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum was ruled out shortly before tipoff of tonight’s game due to injury management, the offensive load was once again put on the shoulders of Jaylen Brown in his absence. While Brown has proven to be very capable of being a reliable number one option for the Celtics this season, he couldn’t work his magic tonight. Brown finished with a game-high 29 points but would shoot just 9 for 29 from the field, while also committing 6 turnovers as the Hawks’ premier defender, Dyson Daniels, swarmed Brown all night long.
The Celtics would also not receive any other great performances to offset Brown’s rough outing, as both Payton Pritchard and Luka Garza were the only two Celtics to score over 10 points. Garza would have a solid outing as he posted 20 points and 9 rebounds, while Pritchard continued to be a flamethrower off the bench with 16 points in 26 minutes of action. Tonight’s loss would be just the third loss in the last 14 games for the Celtics.
Celtics Chances at the Top Seed in the East Slipping Away
As the 2025-26 NBA season is officially one week away from completion, the Celtics’ chances at catching the Detroit Pistons for the top seed in the East are almost gone. This latest loss pushed the Celtics to 4.5 games back of the Pistons, which is seemingly an insurmountable lead at this point in the season. Boston also has another issue that popped up with this loss, which is their own playoff position now seeming a bit precarious.
The Celtics now hold a slim two-game lead over the New York Knicks for the 2nd-place spot in the East, a position that Boston has held since the All-Star break. For the Hawks, their current push has put them in a perfect position to potentially avoid the Play-In tournament altogether. However, their position is a bit rockier compared to the Celtics, as they possess just a 1.5-game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers for their current spot.
