NBA: Celtics notch eighth straight win, beat Hawks despite injuries
Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics attempts a shot against Dejounte Murray #5 of the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena on November 16, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP
The undermanned Boston Celtics got 22 points from Jaylen Brown and stretched their winning streak to eight games with a 126-101 road victory against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
The Celtics played without guards Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart. Brogdon has missed the last four games with hamstring soreness, and Smart was ruled out with ankle inflammation.
Article continues after this advertisementBoston’s thin backcourt resulted in more minutes for point guard Derrick White, who finished the game with 16 points and 10 assists. In addition to Brown and White, five other Celtics scored in double figures: Jayson Tatum (19), Grant Williams (18), Sam Hauser (15), Luke Kornet (15) and Payton Pritchard (14).
Tatum also had eight assists and seven rebounds. Boston’s Al Horford grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
“They won the game,” Brown said. “Me and JT played decent, but our bench carried us and carried our team.”
Article continues after this advertisementTrae Young had 27 points, nine assists and five rebounds for the Hawks, who shot 41.6 percent from the field (42-for-101). Dejounte Murray added 19 points for Atlanta.
De’Andre Hunter (13 points) and John Collins (12) also scored in double figures for the Hawks, who scored the game’s first basket then didn’t have the lead after that.
It was the first game of a three-game road trip for the Celtics, who led 30-18 after one quarter and 62-53 at halftime. Boston made 11 of its 28 3-point attempts in the first half, and finished the game 21-for-46 from behind the arc (45.7 percent).
“We just play the game the right way,” Brown said. “We play solid ball, we try to get everyone involved. We’ve got a really good team from top to bottom.”
Hauser led the Celtics with five made 3-pointers. Williams and Pritchard each made four, and Tatum finished with three. Eight Boston players made at least one 3-pointer.
The Celtics led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter and had a 97-78 advantage entering the fourth. The lead grew to 31 points — 119-88 — on a Pritchard jump shot with 4:41 to play.
The victory improved Boston’s road record to 6-2. Atlanta dropped to 5-3 at home.
The Hawks have scored more than 100 points in their last 36 regular-season games, including the first 15 this season.
