The young Atlanta Hawks surprise and defeat the Boston Celtics 117-116

The Boston Celtics opened their NBA Cup campaign at 9-2 and will look to snap a three-game winning streak when they take on the road Atlanta Hawks (4-7) on Tuesday, November 12th.

The Hawks begin the NBA Cup without top scorer Trae Young due to right Achilles tendonitis, adding to an already extensive injury list. Boston’s fifth home game of the regular season will take place on the NBA Cup’s green-colored home court.

Jaylen Brown opened the scoring for Boston with a three-pointer from the top. JB then added a layup and a free throw to open the game, scoring Boston’s first 6 points.

Boston struggled to shoot the ball from distance, only taking a 3-12 lead from three to open the game. Jaylen Brown, who played the entire first quarter, led the Celtics with 16 points in the first quarter. A late corner three from Sam Hauser gave Boston a narrow 31-29 lead. Boston struggled to contain the dribble, allowing Atlanta to score 18 paint points in the quarter.

Coach Mazzulla played Tatum and Brown the entire first quarter and both sat out the first part of the second quarter. Early in the second quarter, the team relied on Pritchard and White to keep the scoreboard ticking. Both players scored three points in a period where it appeared the coaches were trying out some possible new lineup combinations. Mazzulla had used a total of 10 players midway through the second quarter.

With five minutes left in the half, Boston began to turn up the intensity. A forcefully blocked shot from Queta sent the crowd into an uproar. Boston began scoring three points late in the second quarter when the team made 6-13 three-pointers. Al Horford hit his first two three-pointers and finished the half with 6 points, while Derrick White added 14 points. White was involved in the highlight play of the half with a perfectly timed lob pass to Jaylen Brown, who sailed in from the wing for a two-handed rim rocker.

After an entertaining first half of NBA Cup basketball, Atlanta’s young players kept the game within striking distance as Boston led by 11 points (65-54). Atlanta’s physicality in the first half was highlighted by outscoring Boston’s rebounds 33-22, including 11 offensive possessions.

The third quarter wasn’t particularly pretty to watch, Atlanta forced a slew of deflections as Dyson Daniels had four steals after three and Boston’s turnover count was high at 14. Midway through the third quarter, Atlanta went on an 18-7 run as Boston’s largest lead of 15 points began to evaporate. Atlanta outscored Boston behind Larry Nance, who shot 4-5 from three-point range after three quarters and had 16 points. Nance was certainly a surprise player for Atlanta after recording a DNP in the last meeting between these two teams a week ago. The third quarter would end in Boston’s favor, 91-84.

It would be more of the same starting Game 4 as Atlanta came back into the game trailing by just 2 points. An offensive rebound from Onyeka Okongwu, followed by a mid-range shot from Jalen Johnson, tied the game at 10 after seven minutes.

Derrick White’s three-pointer kept Boston in the game in the fourth as he scored a season-high 31 points. Not to be outdone, Jaylen Brown also scored a season-high 37 points. With the score at 108 apiece, Derrick White would make a long three-pointer as the Boston crowd finally found its voice in the second half.

Jaylen Brown then tried to finish off the Hawks with a three-pointer of his own and a fade-away elbow jumper. But Atlanta came up big in the final seconds as Okongwu got a tip-in with seven seconds left to take the lead, 117-116. Boston then passed the ball out of bounds, resulting in a 20th team loss. Jaylen Brown forced another turnover and Brown had a chance to win with a last-second shot, but the shot went wide.

David Butler II images

Atlanta was busy the entire game and played Boston hard. Atlanta finished the game with 20 Atlanta offensive rebounds and Dyson Daniels forced 6 steals while scoring 28 points. Jalen Johnson would also end the game with a triple double for the Hawks.

The next Group C opponent in the NBA Cup, the Boston Celtics, will be a big test for the team as they face the conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers in the second game of the tournament on Tuesday, November 19th. The Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards round out the five teams in Group C.