The Hawks responded in a big way.
The Hawks staged a late comeback to earn a hard-fought 109-101 victory over the Celtics Friday at TD Garden.
They used a 17-5 run late in the fourth quarter to turn a six-point deficit into a six-point advantage en route to the victory. Paul Millsap (15), Dennis Schroder (9) and Al Horford (8) combined for 32 of the Hawks’ 38 fourth-quarter points.
The Hawks (16-12) have won two straight and snapped a two-game losing streak in Boston.
The Celtics (14-13) have lost three straight and four of their past five.
Here are the key players and five observations on the game:
Three key players
Dennis Schroder: The Hawks reserve point guard played major fourth-quarter minutes, after Jeff Teague appeared to tweak his ankle, and finished with 22 points.
Al Horford: The Hawks center finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Isaiah Thomas: The Celtics guard finished with a game-high 29 points.
Five observations
1. Late run
The Hawks battled from behind much of the night but scored 38 fourth-quarter points to earn the victory in which they trailed by as many as six points in the final period. They shot 14 of 24 in the final quarter.
2. 3-point woes
The Hawks struggled with the 3-point shot all night. They were 0 of 7 after the first quarter, 1 of 11 at the half and 3 of 18 after three quarters. They would finish 4 of 20 (20 percent).
3. Getting back in the game
The Hawks trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half when Thomas converted a free throw with 3:49 left in the second quarter. The Hawks responded by ending on a 13-4 run to pull within a point, 43-42, at intermission. The Hawks made all six shots and the Celtics attempted just one shot (a make), committed three turnovers and had a shot blocked in the span. The Celtics committed 13 first-half turnovers.
4. Points in the paint
The Hawks’ outside shooting woes resurfaced so they turned to their inside game. The Hawks had 17 first-half field goals and 16 came in the paint. They also went to the free-throw line nine times (making seven). The only outside shot they connected on was a Thabo Sefolosha 3-pointer with 6:21 left in the second quarter. The second outside shot didn’t come until a Kyle Korver 3-pointer in the third quarter making the 20 of the Hawks’ first 21 field goals from inside. The Hawks finished with 68 points in the paint, their season-high by 10.
5. Early deficit
The Hawks forced eight turnovers and the Celtics went 4:03 without scoring in the first quarter – and still trailed 25-19 after the period. The Hawks made it close with a 7-0 run during the Celtics’ drought. The Hawks were 8 of 22 (36.4 percent) from the floor and missed all seven 3-pointers. The Celtics shot 11 of 19 (57.9 percent) and made 3 of 4 from long range.
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