The Atlanta Hawks fell to defeat to the Boston Celtics on Friday night \u2014 109-102 \u2014 at TD Garden. Jalen Johnson led the Hawks in scoring with 29 points with CJ McCollum adding 21 points. For the Celtics \u2014 without Jaylen Brown \u2014 Payton Pritchard scored 36 points, and Jayson Tatum added 26 points.<\/p>\n
Much is made by those among general NBA circles of the schedule the Hawks have played since the All-Star break, and this contest in Boston certainly represented a great opportunity for the Hawks to measure themselves against one of the Eastern Conference favorites (even without Brown).<\/p>\n
The Hawks got off to a great start, running out to a 25-9 start behind strong play from Johnson (scoring 12 first quarter points), but towards the end of the first quarter the Hawks\u2019 second unit couldn\u2019t continue the Hawks\u2019 hot start as the Celtics recovered from their early deficit to just three points by the end of the first quarter.<\/p>\n
A balanced scoring effort in the second quarter saw the Hawks maintain their lead heading into the locker-room, but the third quarter saw a shift in the game\u2019s momentum. Initially, the Hawks looked as though they were about to re-establish their double-digit lead, pushing their lead back to eight points with 8:30 remaining in the third \u2014 and leading to a Boston timeout.<\/p>\n
What followed after this timeout was one of the defining stretches of the game, as the Celtics went on a 9-0 run to re-take the lead \u2014 a lead the Hawks would re-take themselves very briefly after this run, but never again for the remainder of the game.<\/p>\n
Sam Hauser gets the run going as he comes off the screen \u2014 gaining separation from CJ McCollum \u2014 and receives the hand-off from Neemius Queta, and Hauser rises into the three:<\/p>\n
Onyeka Okongwu, I think, played this as well as he could have, covering off the immediate threat of Hauser shooting an open three before McCollum recovers, while also savvy of the threat of Queta on the roll. McCollum could, perhaps, contest this shot better, but Hauser\u2019s height is one of his advantages when it comes to his shooting.<\/p>\n
In reply, the Hawks get an open shot through Johnson after the ball screen from Dyson Daniels, but when the three is missed by Johnson, and the Celtics push in transition through Pritchard and Derrick White. After the give-and-go, Pritchard pulls up for three:<\/p>\n
After another missed three from Johnson, Pritchard uses the off-ball Queta screen, receives the ball, and hits another three-pointer after a much better contest from McCollum:<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we could have done better,\u201d said Jalen Johnson when asked of the third quarter shot selection. \u201cI feel like I could have taken better shots to put us in a better position, but we\u2019re not going to be perfect the whole game\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey had the one stretch where they hit some threes and just rattled it,\u201d added Hawks head coach Quin Snyder of the third quarter. \u201cI thought we were better offensively than the score indicated. There was a couple stretches like that. You\u2019re not going to hold a lead like we had the whole game. We responded, we competed. We\u2019ve just got to play better.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Hawks\u2019 superiority in this game was, essentially, extinguished in this run. Pritchard scored 13 of his 36 in the third quarter as the Celtics outscored the Hawks 32-22 in the period. While this 9-0 Celtics run wrestled the Hawks\u2019 lead from under them in a matter of moments from the starting unit, the bench unit didn\u2019t fare well towards the end of the period, and in the early exchanges in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
A combination of poor shot selection and some solid Boston defense were factors in the Hawks falling further behind in the contest in the early stages of the fourth quarter, beginning with a high-screen from Jonathan Kuminga for McCollum, who gets downhill and thinks he has an opening with the defense back-pedaling only to be blocked by the recovering Walsh:<\/p>\n
Off of the hand-off from Okongwu, McCollum tries to operate and rise behind the screen, only for another good contest from Walsh to deter McCollum, contributing to another miss:<\/p>\n
Kuminga did not have a great first half, and the opening of the fourth quarter didn\u2019t fare better. With the shot clock ticking under 10 seconds, Kuminga is faced by Baylor Scheierman and attempts to rise over him, and misses badly:<\/p>\n
I understand the shot clock was beginning to reach critical point, but it\u2019s still a bad shot \u2014 at least in execution \u2014 from Kuminga, and when he was wide open in the corner on the find from McCollum the result is another miss:<\/p>\n
The Celtics didn\u2019t score off of all of these misses, but it was more a case of the Hawks missing their chance to bring the lead down before the rest of the starters returned. The Celtics would soon take their lead to double digits for the first time in this game, and the Hawks faced an uphill battle for the remainder of the game. The Hawks got within four points with under three minutes to go, but against a team like the Celtics, on the road, that 11-point deficit in the fourth was too much to overcome.<\/p>\n
There were\u2026some interesting foul calls towards the end of the game that did not help their comeback cause. I thought the call on Alexander-Walker was fair; he clearly pushed off behind the play \u2014 it\u2019s just not a play that is normally called for a foul behind the play for an offensive foul. The foul call on McCollum for the three Tatum free throws I think was a bit more dubious. Alas, the Hawks fall short in Boston by a margin of seven points in the end, shooting 29% in the fourth quarter (though, the Celtics did not fare much better; shooting 35% in the final frame).<\/p>\n
After the game, on three separate occasions (twice unprompted) Jalen Johnson referenced some elements were \u2018out of the Hawks\u2019 control.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to be cursing,\u201d said Johnson postgame. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to be on a win streak the whole year. How we\u2019re playing these games, I know we\u2019re just sticking to what we do best. That\u2019s something we can continue to build on, despite the loss. I thought it was a really good game tonight, there were some things that are out of our control.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026There was just some things we just had to deal with as a group,\u201d Johnson added in a separate answer. \u201cSome things, like I said, were out of our control\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
When explicitly asked about what was out of the Hawks\u2019 control, Johnson did not get detailed with his answer, replying, \u201cSome things out of our control. Just how the basketball game goes sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson\u2019s repetition of the elements outside of the Hawks\u2019 control appeared to be a very clear reference to the officiating the Hawks felt went against them down the stretch. I don\u2019t think all of the calls made were wrong, but I absolutely do not believe those calls would have been made in in Atlanta.<\/p>\n
Of the aspects the Hawks could control, Quin Snyder was pleased with the opportunities the Hawks got down the stretch in this game but focused on the Hawks\u2019 poor shooting efficiency from the field as a contributing factor to defeat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were getting great looks,\u201d said Snyder of the stretch play. \u201cWhen you\u2019re rebounding and shooting threes, we had layups that went in-and-out. To me, there were a few stretches when they got some offensive rebound put-backs, and they hit some shots. It\u2019s going to be hard to win the game when you shoot 39% from the field is really what it comes down to. I thought we got some good looks and, frankly, to hold them to 35 threes and to defend the way we did, we just got to be a little better through a lot of things. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s one thing that\u2019s going to really stand out that cost us the game. We\u2019ve got to play better.\u201d<\/p>\n
What Snyder believed impacted the Hawks\u2019 efficiency was a lack of spacing and finding each other off of drives. The Hawks talk often about \u2018breaking the paint,\u2019 and having their \u2018eyes out\u2019 on those drives; perhaps reflected in the Hawks\u2019 23 assists \u2014 far below their average.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were some times where we didn\u2019t have our eyes out when we got into the paint,\u201d said Snyder. \u201cThere were times also where our spacing did break down: those two things impact one another. When you\u2019re not spaced, it\u2019s hard to pass. When you get in the lane, you\u2019ve kind of done your job. If you can get your eyes out, there\u2019s a chance that we\u2019re going to get something better.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, the Hawks dropped a game on the road in Boston against a top-tier playoff team \u2014 a bit unfortunate given that Brown was not part of the equation, so it wasn\u2019t entirely reflective of a full-strength Boston-side. Bigger picture: it did give the Hawks a glimpse of their potential limitations come playoff time.<\/p>\n
I think, firstly, defense is not this team\u2019s main issue. The Hawks were able to get stops in the fourth quarter when it mattered. Their defense of Payton Pritchard was, at times, not brilliant in this game, but the defense was not the issue in this game. Again, without Jaylen Brown that isn\u2019t entirely representative, but the Hawks\u2019 defense has been excellent since the All-Star break.<\/p>\n
The main problems are on the offensive end in the fourth quarter. When the Celtics clamped down, and moving and switching as they do \u2014 and the Hawks were chasing the game and needing buckets \u2014 Atlanta was very reliant on CJ McCollum to get the offense going. As was seen in the Detroit game that can work (though, offensive creation was difficult down the stretch in that game, too), but it is concerning just how reliant the Hawks were on McCollum, and when he shoots 8-of-20 from the field (and 2-of-7 in the fourth) that may be difficult to sustain postseason success against the better teams in the East.<\/p>\n
McCollum has been a solid addition since his acquisition but compared to other leading guards on teams above the Hawks such as Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Jalen Brunson, Jaylen Brown, and Cade Cunningham\u2026there is a disparity present in terms of offensive reliability in postseason situations. I can\u2019t help but feel that the Hawks may be served with more Alexander-Walker shots (just four attempts) in the fourth quarter shots than McCollum (and 20 Alexander-Walker shots instead of just 12 for the whole game).<\/p>\n
The other issue offensively is that Dyson Daniels is still going to be played off on the perimeter in the fourth quarter; and while he was aggressive and quick to burst\/spin into the paint on perimeter catches, it remains the case that the Celtics clearly benefitted from playing off of him. Daniels\u2019 usage percentage in the fourth was just nine percent, while McCollum\u2019s was 33% \u2014 if teams are going to play off of Daniels in the postseason, then he needs to have the ball more often than he did last night in the fourth.<\/p>\n
The other issue is the bench, which has to be better than it was last night in the postseason. Despite scoring six points and registering a minus+17 on the game, I actually thought Zaccharie Risacher was OK (though, 13 minutes played is a tough situation all around at this stage of the season). Jonathan Kuminga just has to play better: the Hawks actively rely on his scoring off the bench, and if they\u2019re to have any postseason success he has to shoot better than 0-of-5 and take better quality shots when he does shoot. In contrast, Payton Pritchard stepped up for the Celtics last night, including beginning 6-of-6 from three before cooling off.<\/p>\n
The Hawks were aware of the challenge in front of them last night, and the early playoff test it would represent both in environment and highlighting what the Hawks need to improve upon against playoff-calibre opponents<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the margins, we\u2019re going to be able to look and see the things that we need to do better,\u201d said Snyder. \u201cIt\u2019s across the board, but I think there will be some things that stand out and that\u2019s the opportunity right there. It\u2019s to get better and learn from it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are good teams,\u201d added CJ McCollum. \u201cGood opponents, hostile environments, and that\u2019s what we need as we prepare. We need these types of moments, these types of games.\u201d<\/p>\n
A narrow-enough loss for the Hawks \u2014 there wasn\u2019t much to separate the two sides: only one made three between the two sides, 19 made free throws apiece, similar number of assists, and similar points in the paint. The Hawks only committed four turnovers and scored 20 points off of the Celtics\u2019 16 turnovers, and the Celtics generated zero steals last night. The big disparity in their favor came in bench scoring \u2014 55-18 \u2014 and field goal percentage, 39% versus 46%.<\/p>\n
Atlanta played well overall, as Snyder alluded to, but it wasn\u2019t enough to lift them over the Celtics on the road. That said, there will be plenty of takeaways internally as the Hawks continue to prepare for the postseason.<\/p>\n
Next for the Hawks (41-33) is a home contest tonight against the Sacramento Kings (19-55). The Kings have an advantage on rest (having played a tight game against Orlando on Thursday) but the Hawks will be considered heavy favorites at home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Atlanta Hawks fell to defeat to the Boston Celtics on Friday night \u2014 109-102 \u2014 at TD…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":684292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3776],"tags":[740,676,208,3874,7,677,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-684291","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atlanta-hawks","8":"tag-analysis","9":"tag-atlanta","10":"tag-atlanta-hawks","11":"tag-atlantahawks","12":"tag-basketball","13":"tag-hawks","14":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116307552339019787","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/684291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=684291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/684291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/684292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=684291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=684291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=684291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}