ATLANTA – Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder praised the home crowd’s unwavering support for helping his team achieve a remarkable National Basketball Association (NBA) victory on March 25.
The Hawks made a historic comeback in front of their fans by overcoming a 30-point deficit and beating the Eastern Conference and league-leading Boston Celtics 120-118.
Boston, who was confirmed as having clinched the East’s top seed earlier in the day, appeared to be headed for a resounding victory after outscoring Atlanta 44-22 in the first quarter.
The Celtics then took a 30-point advantage midway through the second quarter before the Hawks woke up and began to take the lead on Boston.
Atlanta continued its rally into the second half, closing the gap further with a 34-22 third quarter before harnessing that momentum in the fourth quarter to pull out a dramatic victory.
“Tonight, the way we started the game and the way Boston started, their energy really gave us a boost,” Snyder said of the Atlanta fans.
“Anytime you’re down that much, you’ve got to have something a little bit out of the ordinary to get back in the game.
“And when you have a group of people that you know who are behind you, rain or shine – and there was a lot of rain early – they played an important role in helping the sun come up This evening.”
De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks with 24 points, including a game-clinching three-pointer with 10 seconds left that gave Atlanta a four-point lead and effectively made the game safe.
Hunter was supported with 22 points from Bogdan Bogdanovic while Dejounte Murray finished with 19 points, 15 assists and five rebounds.
Atlanta improved to 32-39 and remains in 10th place in the East, on track for a spot in the play-in tournament.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said his team paid the price for not killing the game, adding that Atlanta’s physicality caused his team problems in the second half.
“It’s a good lesson. Thanks to them for fighting back,” he said.
“I was thinking about their physicality – they were extremely physical as soon as the ball went past half court. I thought it ruined our offense, and they made us work for everything.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who led his team with 37 points, had no excuses after the loss.
“It’s tough. We improved a lot but we didn’t do the things we needed to do to win,” he said.
“The key is not to overreact. Take it on the chin and get ready for (the next game).
Elsewhere, Donte DiVincenzo put on a three-point shooting clinic to finish with a career-high 40 points as the New York Knicks continued their way to the playoffs with a 124-99 blowout of the league-worst Pistons. League Detroit.
He drained 11 of 20 from beyond the arc, just three short of 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, behind the Celtics (57-15, Milwaukee Bucks (46-25) and Cleveland Cavaliers (44-28 ).AFP, REUTERS
