Paul Millsap knew the importance of the game.
So, the Hawks All-Star went out and had 31 points and 16 rebounds in a 118-107 victory over the Celtics Saturday night at Philips Arena.
The Hawks (48-32) moved a game ahead of the Celtics for third place in the Eastern Conference with an impressive come-from-behind victory in their final home game of the regular season. It was the third straight victory for the Hawks, who now hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Celtics, 3-1.
Jeff Teague added 24 points and seven assists for the Hawks. Kent Bazemore had 21 points and Dennis Schroder added 15 points off the bench.
The Hawks allowed 71 first-half points but just 36 second-half points.
The Celtics (47-33) had a four-game win streak snapped. Marcus Smart led the Celtics with 19 points.
“I see it as a big game for us,” Millsap said before the game. “It’s a big game for us in terms of standings. It’s a big game for us in terms of confidence. It’s a big game for us as far as playoffs. So we must approach it as such.”
The Celtics took a 71-67 lead into intermission after a high-scoring first half. The Celtics shot 61 percent from the field in the second quarter to pull ahead. The lead would grow to 12 points, 87-75, in the third quarter.
Then came the rally.
The Hawks ended the third quarter on an 18-4 run to take a 93-91 lead into the final period. Millsap finished with 13 points in the quarter. The Hawks committed eight turnovers in the quarter but the Celtics only turned them into six points.
The Hawks end the regular season with a two-game road trip at the Cavaliers Monday and the Wizards Wednesday.
