Back in Boston after a one-game road trip to Orlando this past Friday, the Celtics got back to their winning ways Sunday night at TD Garden, this time with a 113-103 win over the Hawks.

And this win required something a little bit different from the Celtics, at least through their first leg of the season, as the Celtics turned up their defensive game to hold Atlanta to what was a season-low 103 points in the win.

• On the scoring front, it was Jayson Tatum who led the way for the Celtics, with 34 points behind an 11-for-25 shooting performance, including five makes from beyond the arc.

  The Celtics also got some solid production from Jaylen Brown, who rebounded from Friday’s so-so performance with 21 points on a 9-for-19 shooting night, along with seven rebounds.

• ON. HIS. HEAD 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/l2ezAaj5Tn

  — Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 27, 2023

• But in a game decided ‘winning the margins’ as Joe Mazzulla put it, it was Al Horford who balled out against his former club, with a team-high 15 rebounds in 32 minutes of action.

  “The effort on offense rebounding was what really made some winning plays for us,” Mazzulla acknowledged after the win. “Al [Horford] had a rebound at the end of the game [when] it was like 103-94. It was tremendous. I thought his play was phenomenal. We’re really lucky to have Al.”

  The Celtics also got some notable production from the reserve, with 29 combined points from their off-the-bench foursome of Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, Neemias Queta, and Luke Kornet. The group, whose production was headlined by 12 points from Hauser, knocked down 11 of their 25 shots (44 percent) ad hauled in 18 rebounds.

• 

  Nov 26, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) shares a laugh with Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) after their game at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports)

  The Celtics played this game without both Jrue Holiday (ankle) and Kristaps Porzingis (calf), and have now won six straight regular-season meetings against the Hawks dating back to Feb. 2022.

  Tatum & Co. return to action Tuesday night at TD Garden against the Chicago Bulls in what will be a group stage game in the NBA’s in-season tournament.

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