A recap of the Hawks’ 106-93 loss to the the Celtics Friday.
Noteworthy
* The Hawks starters were all minus – finishing a combined minus-66.
* Mike Muscala was 5 of 7 from the free-throw line on his way to seven points in six minutes.
* The Celtics’ Jared Sullinger recorded his third straight double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
* The Hawks had five offensive rebounds – one each from five players.
* Jeff Teague appeared to turn his ankle at the end of the first half. He didn’t miss any time as he started the second half. However, after the game he said he was in considerable pain. “Hell no. Nope,” Teague said when asked if his ankle was OK.
* R.J. Hunter, who starred at Georgia State, is playing his rookie season with the Celtics after being selected with the 28th pick in June. Celtics coach Brad Stevens said the guard is ahead of schedule. “He is doing a good job,” Stevens said. “He is playing well. He’s playing maybe more than we would have thought at this time because we’ve had some injuries but also because he’s a little more ready. … He is probably more advanced than I would have thought at this time.”
Key stat
17-5
The Celtics’ advantage on the offensive glass. In all, the Celtics outrebounded the Hawks 50-35.
Quote of the game
“They sent everybody to the glass. We just didn’t match their physicality. They were just more physical than us, pretty much.” – Paul Millsap on being outrebounded
Report card
Offense: C
Credit the Hawks with a better start and a fourth-quarter run. However, that run came after the Hawks trailed by as many as 15 points. It was when the starters re-entered the game that the Celtics pulled away after their lead was cut to three points. The Hawks shot 6 of 20 from 3-point range. They also committed 17 turnovers - way too many.
Defense: D
The Celtics edge in offensive rebounds was glaring. The Hawks also allowed a 35-point third quarter. The Hawks led by as many as five points in the first half but failed to get enough defensive stops in the third. To add insult to injury, after cutting their deficit to three points, the Celtics scored the final 10 points of the game.
