These Hawks were not in Boston.
In a pivotal Game 5, the Hawks crushed the Celtics 110-83 Tuesday night at Philips Arena to avenge two straight road losses in the best-of-seven series. Atlanta leads the Eastern Conference first-round series 3-2. Game 6 is Thursday back in Boston with a chance for the Hawks to move on to the second round of the NBA playoffs.
This was the most complete game the Hawks have played this series. Well, after they opened the game making just six of their first 34 shots.
From that point on, it was all Hawks. They led by as many as 34 points in the lopsided victory that they broke open with big runs in the second (26-6) and third (23-5) quarters.
“The first quarter it was contagious that we couldn’t make a shot,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “The second quarter it became contagious that everybody was making them. We just had to breathe a little.”
Five Hawks scored in double figures with Mike Scott (17 points), Jeff Teague (16), Kent Bazemore (16), Kyle Korver (13) and Paul Millsap (10). All 13 active players played at least nine minutes. All but one player scored, all but one had an assist and all but two had a rebound. The Hawks finished with 30 assists on 42 field goals.
“I think it started with our defense.” Millsap said. “Our defense got some turnovers and some run-outs. We made a good effort to move the basketball and get everybody involved and get a good rhythm that was. It does (get contagious). It forces the next guy to make the next pass. If not you are going to stick out like a sore thumb.”
Oh, that third quarter.
The Hawks outscored the Celtics 42-23 in the third period to take a commanding 89-62 lead. They went on the 23-5 run, which included an 18-1 stretch, to end the quarter. The Hawks started the run with four 3-pointers out of five baskets. Korver, Scott, Millsap and Dennis Schroder all connected from long range and the route was on.
Korver had 10 points and Scott had six points in the quarter.
“Once they get like that and hit a few shots, they steamrolled us,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.
The Hawks held Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas to just seven points after he scored 42 and 28 points in Games 3 and 4 in Boston. He left in fourth quarter with a mild left ankle sprain and did not return. The Hawks did a lot of trapping when Thomas got the ball which forced him to pass the ball.
Millsap said the Hawks didn’t really practice the new strategy but correctly worked the rotations once they employed the trap of Thomas.
The Hawks got off to an ice-cold start. They trailed 20-15 after one quarter as they shot a meager 23.8 percent (5 of 21) from the field. The Celtics were only marginally better at 31.8 percent (7 of 22) in a quarter that sent the game of basketball back. The Celtics pushed their lead to double-digits, 29-19, early in the second quarter as the Hawks had just six field goals.
And then a fire started and the frigid start melted.
The Hawks went on a 26-6 run to turn their 10-point deficit into a 10-point lead. During they run they made 11 straight baskets. The run started with a Millsap basket with 5:58 left in the second quarter, his first make after four misses and making 1 of 4 free throws. Bazemore hit three 3-pointers during the run.
In the second period, the Hawks outscored the Celtics 32-19 and shot 48 percent from the field and 60 percent from 3-point range. Bazemore had 12 points and Scott had seven points in the quarter.
That was just the start.
“I am very proud of how Mike Scott came in and responded tonight,” Al Horford said.
Interestingly, top players from both teams failed to score in the first half. Horford was 0 of 8 from the field for the Hawks and Thomas was 0 of 4 from the field for the Celtics. Each scored the first basket for their team to start the second half.
Thomas was booed every time he touched the ball. It was a measure of payback from the Philips Arena crowd after they similarly booed Schroder after their Game 3 incident. Schroder was given a technical foul in the fourth quarter for taunting Thomas. He was immediately pulled from the game.
The Hawks now turn their attention to a possible series-clinching win.
“Now we just have to take this same type of mentality, this same type of effort, and take it on the road,” Budenholzer said.
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