[4] Atlanta Hawks 104-92 [5] Boston Celtics [Atlanta clinch series 4-2]
Heading into Game 6, the Atlanta Hawks were 0-5 in potential series-clinching games in Boston. They hadn’t won a game in Boston since 18 May 1988, in Game 5 of the Conference Semifinals. On Thursday, the Hawks had as many as six players in double figures to ensure a Game 6 win.
Paul Millsap led the scoring with his 17 points and 8 rebounds. Back-up point guard Dennis Schroder starred off the bench with 12 points and 8 assists. Atlanta iced this game despite 20 turnovers courtesy of their 51.4% shooting and Boston’s dismal 36.2% shooting. The Hawks also excelled on offense by assisting on 26 of their 38 (68.4%) field goals.
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For Boston, Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points and dished out 10 dimes despite playing on a slightly gimpy left ankle, which he sprained in Game 5 at Atlanta. Jae Crowder (15 points), Jonas Jerebko (13 points) and Marcus Smart (13 points, 7 rebounds) all contributed but it was all of bad shooting percentages. The trio were a combined 40% from the field, not good enough when your star player is also shooting just 37.5%
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Much like most of the games in this series, the Hawks entered the locker rooms at halftime with an eight-point lead. This time, however, the team learnt its lessons from past collapses and came out strong in the third quarter outscoring the Celtics 39-26 in the period.
Their win means the face the top seed in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at the Quicken Loans Arena.
Boston Celtics Nation! You can check out the latest Boston Celtics Schedule and dive into the Celtics Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.
