Hawks Beat Celtics 121-97
ATLANTA -- On the same night Atlanta honored one of its best defensive players in franchise history, the Hawks exploded for one of their best offensive efforts of the season.
Forward Paul Millsap led seven Hawks in double figures with 25 points, and point guard Jeff Teague added 16 points and nine assists in a 121-97 win over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
Former Hawks defensive stopper Dikembe Mutombo, an NBA Hall of Famer, had his number 55 jersey retired at halftime. The Celtics could have used the 7-footer's shot-blocking prowess.
Atlanta (10-6) scored on the inside and outside, with an efficient attack that helped the Hawks overcome another big night from red-hot Boston guard Avery Bradley.
Bradley scored 25 points to lead the Celtics, and he is averaging 22.4 points in his last five games.
The Hawks took an 81-73 lead into the fourth quarter. Forward Mike Scott converted a three-point play off of nice pass from point guard Dennis Schroder to put the Hawks up 11 with nine minutes to play.
Guard Kyle Korver drained a couple 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Atlanta lead ballooned to 112-88 with three minutes left.
Korver, forward Thabo Sefolosha and Scott each finished with 15 points.
The Celtics (7-7) began the week with NBA's top-ranked defense, but they didn't look like it early against an energetic, hot-shooting Hawks team that pushed the pace from the opening tip.
The Hawks scored a season-high 33 points in the first quarter and shot a sizzling 57.9 percent from the field in the first half. They led by as many as 13, but the Celtics made a move every time the Hawks tried to pull away, mainly thanks to Bradley.
Bradley hit 8 of 12 shots in the first half, including three 3-pointers to keep the Celtics somewhat close. Atlanta led 57-48 at halftime, behind 15 first-half points from Millsap.
After an 8-2 start, the Hawks had dropped four of five games and were looking for answers in the backcourt, where both Teague and key reserve guard Kent Bazemore had missed time with injuries. Guard Tim Hardaway Jr., an offseason acquisition, saw his first action of the regular season Tuesday. Hardaway finished with three points in 12 minutes.
The Celtics, who, like the Hawks, have been up-and-down through the first month of the season, dropped their second straight game and third in their last four. Rookie guard R.J. Hunter, a local product who starred at Georgia State, scored 10 points.
Point guard Isaiah Thomas added 15 points, and forward David Lee came off the bench for 10 points and six rebounds for the Celtics.
NOTES: Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said he apologized to referee Ben Taylor for making contact with him while protesting a noncall Saturday in a loss to Cleveland. Budenholzer was fined $25,000, but not suspended by the NBA, a punishment that drew criticism from the referees' union. ... Boston guard Marcus Smart is sidelined for at least two weeks with a lower leg injury. Smart already missed three games earlier in the season with a sprained big toe. ... Only the Milwaukee Bucks had a worse rebounding differential than the Hawks (-5.7) entering Tuesday's games. ... The Celtics won the first of four meetings of the season, beating the Hawks 106-93 on Nov. 13. ... The Hawks retired the jersey of Hall of Fame center Dikembe Mutombo during a ceremony at halftime.
