Hawks' late rally falls short against Celtics; Boston takes 1-0 series lead
The Celtics' 30-point halftime lead tied the franchise's postseason record
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Boston Celtics, the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, entered the first round of the playoffs favored over the Atlanta Hawks.
Two-time All-Star Jaylen Brown appeared to reaggravate a hand injury that required five stitches, but he finished the game and led the team with 29 points.
Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum finished with 25 points, scoring 21 in the first half.
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Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics celebrates during the second quarter of Game 1 of a first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden April 15, 2023, in Boston. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Hawks trailed the Celtics 74-44 at halftime, and the Celtics led by as many as 32.
Atlanta struggled from beyond the 3-point arc for most of the regular season, and those shooting woes continued Saturday.
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The Hawks missed their first 10 3-point attempts and shot 5 of 29 from beyond the arc on the day. Atlanta used a 32-12 run to cut the deficit to 96-84 on a 3-point play by Bogdan Bogdanovic early in the fourth.
Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics celebrates after scoring against the Atlanta Hawks during the second quarter of Game 1 of a first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden April 15, 2023, in Boston. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
But the Celtics managed to increase their lead to a comfortable 13-point margin late in the fourth quarter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}With less than two minutes remaining, Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter got free on a fast break, but his layup attempt was blocked from behind by Marcus Smart.
Trae Young (11) of the Atlanta Hawks drives to the basket during Game 1 of a 2023 NBA playoff series against the Boston Celtics April 15, 2023, at the TD Garden in Boston. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
All-Star guard Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Hawks star point guard Trae Young added 16 points.
Despite Atlanta’s late push, the Celtics sizzled, connecting on 13 3-pointers.
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After dropping in his third 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half, Tatum spread his arms out wide to a huge ovation from the TD Garden crowd.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.