The Atlanta Hawks coasted to a 104-92 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of their first-round series Thursday night, clinching a series victory and eliminating Boston.
Atlanta's first-half defense and third-quarter offense helped propel the team to victory. Early in the game, the Hawks had walled off the paint with stellar rim protection and forcing the Celtics to take perimeter jumpers, which they weren't making (7-of-32 from downtown for the game). The ball movement picked up in the third quarter, as Atlanta dropped 39 points in the frame.
After grabbing a big 89-61 lead, though, Atlanta let its gap slip away as Boston started defending with more urgency and heating up from the outside. The Celtics got the deficit to 10 points with less than two minutes left, but couldn't get any closer.
The Hawks had a balanced attack on offense Thursday night, having six players score between 11 and 17 points. The Celtics, meanwhile, got 25 points from Isaiah Thomas and 15 from Jae Crowder.
Fourth-seeded Atlanta moves onto the second round of the playoffs, where it will f ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Jared Johnson