Celtics slide continues with 127-112 loss to Hawks
The Celtics’ hole continues to get deeper – the team has now lost three games in a row, and is two games under. 500. Their slide continued Wednesday night with a 127-112 loss to the Hawks in Atlanta.
With the loss, the C’s fall to 15-17 on the season, and 7-12 on the road. They’ve now lost three straight and eight of their last 11 games, going back to the end of their west coast road trip in early February.
Early on, Trae Young picked up where he left off last week in Boston, and terrorized the Celtics once again. There was a stretch where he scored 11 straight points for Atlanta, during which they grabbed a 26-15 lead. Young finished the first quarter with 17 points, and the Hawks held a 40-27 lead through 12 minutes.
In the second quarter, Danilo Gallinari took the wheel from Young. He scored 19 points in the frame, and was 7-of-8 from three in the first half. The Celtics couldn’t match Atlanta’s pace for the first 24 minutes, and were down 72-49 at halftime.
The Celtics made a couple of runs at the Hawks’ lead in the third quarter, but never got closer than 17 points after being down as many as 27. Gallinari continued to fill up the stat sheet as he hit another two three pointers, and the Celtics trailed 99-78 heading into the fourth.
Wednesday night was the first time this season the Celtics didn’t have a single player with more than 20 points. Their previous lowest game high came on January 15, when Jaylen Brown scored 21 points in a win over the Magic.
It was Brown leading the way again for the C’s – he scored 17 on 6-of-16 shooting, and was 0-6 from deep. Jeff Teague followed him with 14 points, while Jayson Tatum, Tristan Thompson, and Aaron Nesmith each contributed 13.
Gallinari led all scorers with 38 points, the most he’s scored in a game since April of 2015. The 32-year-old was 13-of-16 from the field, and 10-of-12 from three. Young also had a big night with 33 points and seven assists.
The Celtics return home on Friday, when they host the Indiana Pacers. That game tips off at 7:00 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Stat pack:
Click here for 98.5 The Sports Hub’s complete coverage of the Celtics.
Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].
