The Atlanta Hawks produced a comeback for the ages to overturn a 30-point deficit and defeat the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics 120-118 on Monday.
Boston, who were confirmed as having clinched the Eastern Conference’s top seed earlier on Monday, appeared to be cruising towards a resounding win after outscoring Atlanta 44-22 in the first quarter.
The Celtics raced into a 30-point advantage midway through the second quarter before Atlanta woke up and began chipping into the Boston lead.
The Hawks kept the rally going into the second half, narrowing the gap further with a 34-22 third quarter before harnessing that momentum into the fourth quarter to complete a dramatic win.
De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks in scoring with 24 points, including a decisive three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining that gave Atlanta a four-point cushion and effectively made the game safe.
Hunter was backed by Bogdan Bogdanovic with 22 points, while Dejounte Murray finished with 19 points, 15 assists, and five rebounds.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder praised the unrelenting support of the Atlanta home crowd for helping drive his team to a remarkable victory.
Atlanta improved to 32-39 and remains in 10th place in the East, on course for a spot in the play-in tournament.
A Good Lesson
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said his team paid the price for not killing the game off, adding that Atlanta’s physicality had caused his team problems in the second half.
“It’s a good lesson,” Mazzulla said. “Credit to them for battling back.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum had no excuses after the defeat.
“It’s tough, you won’t win every game you play,” Tatum said. “We were up a lot, but we didn’t do the things we needed to do to win.
Elsewhere, Donte DiVincenzo put on a three-point shooting clinic to finish with a career-best 40 points as the New York Knicks kept rolling towards the postseason with a 124-99 blowout against the league-worst Detroit Pistons.
DiVincenzo drained 11-of-20 from outside the arc, just three away from Klay Thompson’s single-game record of 14 set in 2018.
Jalen Brunson added 28 points as the Knicks improved to 43-28 to remain fourth in the East.
In San Antonio, Phoenix Suns duo Kevin Durant and Devin Booker combined for 65 points, but it was not enough to prevent the Spurs from snatching an upset 104-102 win.
Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell each finished with 26 points as Western Conference basement club San Antonio claimed only their 16th win of the season.
At the opposite end of the Western Conference, first-placed Denver trounced the Memphis Grizzlies 128-103 to edge closer to the No.1 seeding.
The defending NBA champions went wire-to-wire in an easy win, with Nikola Jokic once again leading the way with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
The Nuggets lead the Western Conference with a 51-21 record, one win clear of second-placed Oklahoma (49-21).
In Salt Lake City, Luka Doncic grabbed his 19th triple-double of the season to finish with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists as the Dallas Mavericks outgunned the Utah Jazz 115-105.
Pierre Daccache, with AFP
