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4 takeaways as Celtics demolish Hawks, Sam Hauser comes close to history
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- 4 takeaways as Celtics demolish Hawks, Sam Hauser comes close to history
ATLANTA — The Celtics overwhelmed the Hawks 132-106 on Saturday from State Farm Arena. The result was never in doubt after a historic 52-point second quarter for the C’s, blowing out the Hawks in a laugher. The Celtics improved to 26-15 on the season while the Hawks dropped to 20-24.
The shot-making came easy for the C’s, including 18 points in the first quarter from Jaylen Brown . But the floodgates were inevitable in the second quarter. Sam Hauser caught fire, going 7-for-8 on his 3-pointers in the first half. Brown had 29 points himself by the halftime break. The Celtics’ 82 first-half points were their fourth-most ever in a first half.
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The Hawks never made a serious comeback attempt Saturday. The C’s lead peaked at 43 points. Kristaps Porzingis also sat out the game because of left Achilles tendinitis. Atlanta’s defense never put up serious resistance against Boston , dropping the Hawks to a third straight loss. The Celtics also blew out the Hawks without Payton Pritchard , who sat for the first time this season with left ankle soreness.
Brown led the way with 41 points and six rebounds. Hauser added another 30 points, almost making history (more on that below). Onyeka Okongwu had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Hawks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 18 points and six assists on the night.
The Celtics face the East-best Pistons to wrap up their four-game road trip at 8 p.m. Monday in Detroit . Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Atlanta:
Offensive explosion:It wasn’t just the Celtics putting up points Saturday, but it was also the ease in which their buckets came. The Hawks had no answers, plus it helped the C’s finished shooting 22-for-52 (42.3%) on 3-pointers. Brown was aggressive right from tipoff, fresh off having his jersey retired by his high school the night before. The final point total wasn’t a season-high for the Celtics as they cooled off some in the second half. Regardless, it was a great response from the Celtics after a mostly-lethargic win over the Heat last time out.
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Sharpshooter:Hauser started off cold to open the season, but that’s far in the rear-view mirror at this point. He finished a scorching 10-for-21 on 3-pointers Saturday, looking like he could set some records. But he came up just short of matching Marcus Smart’s Celtics record of 11 made 3s in a game. Hauser missed six straight 3s before subbing out for the night, coming up just short of Smart. Still, it was a reminder that Hauser is one of the best shooters in the world for a reason. He’s taking it to another level in recent games as he’s also helped solidify the starter role.
Starter check:With Pritchard out, it was Baylor Scheierman who got the start in his place. There was a chance Anfernee Simons could’ve entered the starting lineup since he could fill a similar role as Pritchard. But the C’s are seemingly keeping Simons to a bench-only role, similar to what Pritchard did last season in his Sixth Man of the Year campaign. Simons still finished with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting off the bench, including some nice stretches Saturday.
Setting up a big one:Celtics vs. Pistons on Monday will be between the two best teams in the East. The Pistons currently hold the 2-1 edge in the season series with the fourth and final game coming in Detroit. The two teams have been the best in the East throughout this season, looking like a potential playoff preview. It’ll be a great test for both teams on a nationally-televised stage.
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