The Celtics get a big win from Jaylen Brown but can’t knock off the Hawks in the opening game of the NBA Cup

Brown had 37 points and Derrick White added 31 to lead the Celtics, but Brown had six of Boston’s 20 turnovers. Jayson Tatum was just 5 for 16 from the field with five turnovers. Dyson Daniels had 28 points and six steals to lead the Hawks, who were without star guard Trae Young.

The Celtics will still have some work to do to advance from the NBA Cup group stage, with games remaining against the Wizards, Cavaliers and Bulls. However, their main focus is to regain their championship form.

The Celtics hit big balls down the stretch, but the Hawks kept answering. After a 3-pointer from Brown with 1:25 left gave Boston a 114-110 lead, Larry Nance responded with a goal from the left corner for Atlanta.

Brown then extended the lead to 3 with a 16-footer, and Keaton Wallace answered with a runner with 42.6 seconds left to make it 116-115. Tatum, who struggled with his shot all night, missed an open shot from the left corner, giving the Hawks a chance.

Daniels missed a runner in the lane, but Onyeka Okongwu converted the tip-in with 6.1 seconds left, giving Atlanta a 117-116 lead, its first since the first quarter. After a timeout, Tatum attempted to create space along the baseline but was unable to handle the inbound pass.

The Hawks gave the Celtics one last chance by turning the ball over on the ensuing inbound pass. However, with no timeouts left, the Celtics had to inbound the ball from near their bench. Brown took a long pass from White and got a good pass, but it missed.

Last season, Brown tended to give the Celtics a run for their money in the early quarters, but this year he has typically gone to the bench midway through the quarter and let Tatum take the floor.

Tuesday’s start felt like a setback for Brown, who set the tone with his aggressive play and strong attacks at the rim. And his quick start may have impacted coach Joe Mazzulla’s rotation decisions. In a rare occurrence, Brown and Tatum both played the entire opening quarter, with Brown’s 16-point lead helping Boston to a 31-29 lead.

This resulted in both players being on the bench to start the second period, with Derrick White and Jrue Holiday given the keys to the offense.

With Young out, the Hawks were without their only truly dynamic scorer, and they tried to make up for his absence with their work on the team. They actually produced a decent look and had some success, but also failed to implement some simple attempts that NBA players generally master without any problems.

After Brown and Tatum returned midway through the second quarter, the Celtics began to create some separation. Horford’s 3-pointer with 3:48 to play capped a 13-3 run that gave Boston a 54-43 lead.

The atmosphere in the first half was generally sleepy, as sloppy turnovers and missed three-pointers from both sides disrupted the overall rhythm, and the crowd responded accordingly. But perhaps the loudest applause came with 1.1 seconds left when Payton Pritchard was sent into the game looking for one of his trademark buzzer-beating shots.

Derrick White tried to get the ball to Pritchard, but he couldn’t find space. So White fired a long pass to Jaylen Brown, who was inexplicably fouled by Jalen Johnson with 0.4 seconds left. Those free throws gave the Celtics a 65-54 lead at halftime.

Boston took a 75-60 lead with 8:32 left in the third period and appeared well-positioned to extend its lead. But the Hawks didn’t collapse. A few minutes later, a 9-0 score was capped by a three-pointer from Nance, and Atlanta trailed 91-84 entering the fourth period.

The Celtics’ turnover problems continued in the final phase. White threw the ball away, which led to a 3-pointer from Wallace at the other end. Then Okongwu scored inside and Johnson (18 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists) added a baseline jumper to tie the score at 97.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.