The Celtics are eager to make some postseason noise, but will have to do so now without starting guard Avery Bradley, who is out for the series with an injury. Boston was loud in the opener, storming back from a 19-point deficit, but couldn’t hold on. The C’s look to even the series on Tuesday night.
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LETDOWN
While the absence of Boston guard Avery Bradley undoubtedly helps the Hawks, it’s never easy to see a player of his magnitude on the shelf in the NBA playoffs. Bradley’s offensive skills aren’t always tantalizing to the opposition, but the combo guard serves as one of the best on-ball defenders in the league, and his loss creates a significant hole in the Celtics rotation.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens was already facing a shortage when it comes to perimeter shooting in this series, and while Bradley isn’t a lights-out gunner, he is competent. With him out the lineup we could see more of R.J. Hunter or Terry Rozier. Boston was exposed when using bigger lineups in Game 1 and the C’s have more playoff-ready bodies in the frontcourt than they do on the wing. Boston is certainly in a hole without one of its top assets and the Celtics are already in a 1-0 series hole to boot.
INJURIES
The Celtics could be without Bradley for the rest of the first-round playoff series after suffering a right hamstring injury in Game 1. Bradley wasn’t the only injury concern either. Kelly Olynyk temporarily left the games with a sore right shoulder while Marcus Smart sprained his left index finger. Both returned to the game, but their situations will be worth monitoring.
Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. was a game-time decision after going out with a strained groin in the regular season finale. He was pain-free during warm-ups and played over eight minutes in Game 1.
KEY MATCHUP
With Bradley out with a hamstring injury, things opened up for Hawks point guard Jeff Teague and he took advantage, leading the Hawks to a 102-101 Game 1 victory. Teague scored 23 points and handed out 12 assists to make sure Atlanta maintained home-court advantage in the series. “Jeff was in attack mode,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Teague. The injury really opened up the floor for Teague and the Celtics simply didn’t have anyone who could stay with the slick guard.
With the game tied late, Teague worked the pick-and-roll to set up a layup. After a Celtics miss, Teague assisted on a Paul Millsap dunk to push the Hawks lead to four with under three minutes left. The Celtics are faced with a big challenge now that Bradley, their top perimeter defender, is likely out for the series.
QUICK PICK
It’s not tough to imagine this series being close considering where the teams finished during the regular season. The teams had identical 48-34 records with Atlanta getting homecourt thanks to the tie-breaker. So, a one-point Hawks victory in Game 1 isn’t all that surprising. Losing a 19-point lead on their own floor is a concern as is the shooting of Kyle Korver, who went 1 of 10 from the floor and missed all seven three-point attempts.
The Hawks will have Korver on the floor for Game 2 while the Celtics won’t have Bradley, a key member of the starting rotation. The loss hurts, but Stevens has a long bench. Marcus Smart and Hunter are more than capable of picking up the offensive slack, but the C’s will be hurting on the other end without their top defender. Even without Bradley the series will stay close, but Atlanta will take advantage while Boston works on adjusting its rotations without Bradley.
NBA Odds: Atlanta 104, Boston 99
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