A stirring comeback on Sunday got Boston even, reducing the series to a best-of-three. The Celtics have to win once on the road and they’ll get a chance Tuesday in Game 5. This was never going to be a sweep for the Hawks, but they should feel letdown after squandering numerous opportunities in Beantown.
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LOOK AHEAD
Down a key player in top perimeter defender Avery Bradley, the Celtics were able to rebound with a pair of wins on their home floor to even the series. They have also pressured the Hawks into finding answers. Atlanta wasted a 45-point night from Paul Millsap and a 16-point second-half lead before bowing in overtime. Boston turned the series into a best-of-three by protecting its homecourt.
Given how the Hawks executed the final possession of regulation time, they deserved to lose. After Isaiah Thomas tied the score with an uncontested drive to the hoop, Atlanta had 15 seconds left on the clock to get the go-ahead points. Jeff Teague took the inbounds pass and held the ball for 13 seconds. He then tried to get a shot off from behind the three-point stripe and lost the ball. The Hawks didn’t even get a shot attempt. We expected a close series with how evenly-matched the teams are. They ended the season with identical 48-34 records and their home and road numbers were similar. All the Hawks have to do is win at home to advance, but the Celtics will be riding some momentum.
INJURIES
Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk returned to the court after missing the previous two games with a shoulder injury. He played nearly four minutes off the bench and was scoreless with two rebounds. Bradley is out for the series after injuring his hamstring in Game 1.
KEY MATCHUP
If the Hawks went to the man that lifted them to a big lead in the second half of Sunday’s game, we might be talking about how Atlanta could close out the series on Tuesday. Instead, the Hawks played keep away from Paul Millsap and his 45-point night was for naught. Millsap was 19 of 31 shooting in Game 4, making more field goals than the rest of the team combined. Take Millsap’s numbers out of the equation and the Hawks were 18 of 69 from the field for a measly 26.1 percent.
Millsap contributes in a variety of ways when he’s not scoring the basketball, but his 12 combined points in Games 2 and 3 were inexplicable. He’s a matchup problem for the Celtics and the Hawks were much better at getting him the touches during his offensive explosion. It’s a positive sign that Millsap was able to rebound from his slow start to the series with arguably the best game of his career. The emergence of Millsap is a good sign for the Hawks as the series shifts back to Atlanta.
QUICK PICK
The home court has been an advantage in this NBA series and it’s time for the Hawks to hold serve. Atlanta hasn’t had a problem getting out to early leads, they just haven’t been able to hold on. The Hawks nearly lost Game 1 after building a double-digit lead and the disaster from Sunday is one that could linger.
But I don’t anticipate the Hawks going into a collective funk the way they did Sunday. Sure they allowed a double-digit second-half lead to dissolve but they had chances to put the game away. Atlanta shot 37 percent from the field – and that’s with Millsap dropping 61.2 percent of his shots. Millsap likely won’t have another game like his Game 4, but the rest of the Hawks probably won’t either.
NBA Odds: Atlanta 104, Boston 93
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You can watch the game live on NBA TV.
