Celtics-Hawks Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Jan 05 2013 1:41AM

The Boston Celtics have gained a reputation as a very good defensive team the last few years, but that wasn't the case at all during a recent four-game skid.

While they returned to form for at least one night, they will need more consistency to get back on track after sliding below .500.

Boston will also try to snap a three-game road losing streak when it faces the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

The Celtics (15-17) ended a four-game slide with Friday's 94-75 win against Indiana after entering the contest a season-worst three games below .500.

"You could tell we needed this win, and that's how we came out tonight," said Kevin Garnett, who tied a team high with 18 points before he was ejected in the fourth quarter for a Flagrant 2 foul when he flailed his hands and hit Tyler Hansbrough in the face.

"We needed a win. Tonight was the night to stop the bleeding. I felt like we did that."

In the four previous losses, Boston had allowed 104.5 points per game and opponents shot 50.5 percent from the field. The Celtics held teams to 97.0 ppg through their first 27.

Friday's performance was much closer to the trademark defense Boston has played largely since acquiring Garnett in the summer of 2007. The Celtics led the league in field-goal percentage defense (43.1) and scoring defense (92.1) over the last five seasons.

They limited Indiana to a season-low 31.8 percent shooting. Paul George and David West - the team's top two scorers - finished with a total of 19 points on 8 of 36 from the field.

"It was only a matter of time before their defense bounced back and it bounced back in a big way tonight," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said.

The Celtics will still need better offense too, as they averaged 84.8 points during their slump, and Friday's output was below the season mark of 95.4.

Finding sources of offense has been a challenge with only two players reaching the 20-point mark in the last six games. Paul Pierce and Jason Terry each had 20 in a 118-96 loss at Sacramento on Dec. 30. Rajon Rondo's 11.6 assists still lead the NBA, but that figure accounts for more than half of the team's game average (23.1).

Josh Smith continues to lead the Hawks (20-11) with 16.9 ppg, but Atlanta isn't getting many contributions from outside its starting lineup.

Better scoring from the reserves could be even more crucial going forward as Smith aggravated a hip pointer in Friday's 85-84 loss at Detroit, though he scored a team-high 20. He missed a game Dec. 29 with a similar injury.

Atlanta's bench is averaging 26.4 points over an eight-game span since Dec. 21, one of the league's lowest figures during that stretch. They were outscored 41-14 by the Pistons' second unit, though the Hawks reeled off a 16-0 run to cut the deficit to 83-82 with 3:13 left.

"Josh said he could still go, but when we got down 17 late in the third, I got him out of there," coach Larry Drew said. "After that, when the guys were making a run, I didn't want to change things. I did put Josh out there for the last possession, though. He wanted to be out there."

Boston has won four of six against Atlanta, including two of three last season. Rondo had a triple-double (10 points, 20 assists, 10 rebounds) in an 88-86 victory on April 11.

Rondo, Pierce help Celtics rally past Hawks

By GEORGE HENRY
Posted Jan 05 2013 11:01PM

ATLANTA (AP) After listening to Doc Rivers lecture the Boston Celtics at halftime, Paul Pierce told his teammates to respect their coach and follow orders.

"We were kind of bickering at each other a little bit too much, figuring out what defense we were going to run," Pierce said. "And I just had to say that the fight ain't with one another. It's against the other team on the court."

The Celtics responded in the second half, with Rajon Rondo finishing off a triple double as Boston rallied for an 89-81 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Pierce scored 17 of his 26 points in the third quarter as the Celtics erased a 19-point deficit and went on to consecutive wins for the first time since late November against Oklahoma City and Orlando. Rondo had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Boston, which beat Indiana 94-75 on Friday night, had lost four straight road games.

Rivers insisted that despite the first-half struggles against the Hawks, the game plan would not change.

"I was like, `This ain't it, don't get mad at Doc, he's coaching,"' Pierce said. "We've got to get mad at this other team."

Lou Williams scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half for Atlanta, which has lost two straight. Jeff Teague added 17 points, and Josh Smith, who was 2 for 12 in the second half, finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Hawks got off to a fast start, then fell apart in the third quarter as Boston began doubling ballhandlers on the perimeter and clamping down on Atlanta inside.

"They just climbed up in us defensively," Teague said. "They got physical and they brought pressure and got us out of our comfort zone. We just didn't respond."

The Celtics trailed by 19 with 6:20 left in the second, but went up 61-60 on Jared Sullinger's alley-oop layup with 3:47 left in the third. It was their first lead since the game's first minute.

Boston opened the third with a 14-1 run to pull within one. Hawks coach Larry Drew, whose team missed its first five shots from the field to begin the second half, called timeout at the 7:29 mark, but Teague lost the ball out of the bounds on the ensuing possession.

Atlanta, which had 13 turnovers and three assists in the second half, was just 2 for 14 from the field in the third and trailed 71-62 heading to the final period.

Kevin Garnett's fast-break layup with 8:53 remaining gave the Celtics their first double-digit lead at 79-68. Garnett finished with 14 points.

"The second half was completely different," Rivers said. "We worked the set. The first play went from one side to the other on offense. On defense they were late in the shot clock because Avery (Bradley) and Rondo both were up ball pressuring. And it changed the game for us."

Williams had outscored the Celtics 13-10 by the 5:47 mark of the first, connecting on his first seven shots from the field. His 16th point came on a layup for Atlanta's first double-digit lead at 23-12 late in the first.

But the Hawks could not overcome the absence of injured shooting guards Devin Harris and Anthony Morrow. Kyle Korver then fouled out with 6:37 remaining, and DeShawn Stevenson played only 13 minutes because of sore knees.

Drew called it "probably the most disappointing loss of the season" considering the Hawks have gone soft with big leads all season and backed down from the team that eliminated them in the first round of the playoffs last season.

"We've seen this kind of scenario before where we've played well and then when it starts to get more physical, we don't respond," Drew said. "That was clearly what happened tonight."

Jason Terry, in his first season with Boston and 13th overall, credited Pierce with backing up Rivers and straightening out the team's collective attitude.

"We took the challenge," Terry said. "We took it personal. You come in at halftime, and Lou Williams has 21 points, primarily all easy baskets. He was just letting them fly. So we wanted to invade his space. As we did that, we started to get more and more stops.

"Paul Pierce got it rolling. He really made his imprint on the game."

NOTES: Korver fouled out for the first time in 27 games this season and finished with nine points. ... Atlanta scored 31 points in the first quarter, tying for the highest by a Boston opponent and the most since the Celtics opened the season Oct. 30 at Miami. ... The Hawks' nine points in the third were a season low by a Boston opponent. ... Harris missed his ninth straight game with a sore left foot. ... Morrow was sidelined for the fifth straight game because of a strained right hip.

Notebook: Celtics 89, Hawks 81

Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:54 PM - Updated Sun Jan 06, 2013 12:13 AM

THE FACTS: When the Celtics stopped fussing amongst themselves Saturday and turned their anger on the Hawks, it was a rout in Atlanta.

Boston rolled as Paul Pierce scored 17 of his 26 points in the third quarter Saturday to help the Celtics turn a 15-point halftime deficit into an 89-81 win.

Pierce had help from Rajon Rondo, as the Boston point guard's second triple double of the season (14 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) was back-loaded in the second half.

The Hawks, conversely, were front loaded. Lou Williams scored 16 of his season-high 28 points in the first quarter for Atlanta, and the Hawks expanded the lead to 46-27 on one of Williams' four second-quarter treys.

Then, Atlanta disappeared in a flurry of failed jump shots in the third quarter as Boston started pushing the Hawks around. Atlanta's 53-38 halftime lead vanished under a 33-9 Celtics avalanche in the third.

After losing four straight games, Boston has won two straight with solid defense -- although not at first Saturday.

The Celtics (16-17) beat Indiana 94-75 Friday, and then --- after sleep-walking through the first half -- stoned the Hawks (20-12) in the second half.

Atlanta's nine points in the third quarter were a season low, the Hawks' 28 points in the second half were a season low, they shot 2-for-14 in the third quarter (a season-low 14.3 percent), and their second-half shooting mark of 25 percent (7-for-28) was a season low.

The Hawks lost for the second straight night and for the third time in four games. Jeff Teague had 17 points, and Josh Smith had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Kevin Garnett had 14 points for Boston.

QUOTABLE: "We wanted to bring the fight to the Hawks in the second half. We were kind of bickering with each other at halftime about what to do defensively, and I just reminded the guys that the fight isn't against us, it's against the other team. I told our guys we have to accept coaching. Doc was telling us what to do, and guys were getting angry with him. I told them the ones we need to be getting angry with is the other team."
-- Pierce.

THE STAT: 16-8 -- Boston -- one of the league's least effective rebounding teams -- won the battle of the boards, 44-38. More importantly, the Celtics had a 16-8 edge on the offensive glass.

TURNING POINT: The third quarter, won 33-9 by Boston. As the Celtics starting pushing the Hawks around, Pierce was the star of the period while scoring 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting (2-for-3 on 3-pointers). Rookie forward Jared Sullinger had five rebounds as the Celtics grabbed 17 rebounds to Atlanta's seven.

The Hawks shot 2-for-14 with seven turnovers to Boston's two, and had one assist to Boston's nine. Both Atlanta makes were on treys, but the Hawks were just 2-for-9 from distance in the third. Boston outscored Atlanta 12-0 in the paint in the third quarter after the Hawks won that stat 24-12 in the first half.

Atlanta got off just three shots in the paint in the period, all misses.

QUOTABLE II: "This was a very, very disappointing loss . . . probably for me, the most disappointing of the season. When it starts getting a little bit more physical, and they start playing us a little rougher, we don't respond. That was clearly what happened tonight. The last way that you want to lose is for a team to climb up in you. I was going to give them [Sunday] off after four games in five nights, but I cannot do that. I'm concerned."
-- Hawks coach Larry Drew.

HOT: Williams made all six of his shots in the first quarter, including three 3-pointers. He has made a career-high five 3-pointers in consecutive games. . . . Rondo had 10 points, six rebounds, six assists, three steals and just one turnover in the second half. . . . Boston starters outscored Atlanta starters 45-22 in the second half.

NOT: Josh Smith missed all five of his shots in the disastrous third quarter, and shot just 4-for-18 overall while nursing a hip flexor that he aggravated Friday in a loss in Detroit. Smith did grab a team-high 10 rebounds, but also had a team-high six turnovers. . . . One night after going 9-for-13 with 18 points and 15 rebounds against the Pistons, Atlanta center Al Horford had six points on 2-for-8 shooting.

GOOD MOVE: Boston coach Doc Rivers told his players to be more physical, but they didn't pay heed until the second half -- when players decided to start doing what he said. There is no way Rivers could have predicted that subtle coaching move would be so successful.

QUOTABLE III: "We made not one adjustment at the half. We just came out and did the same things harder, and better."

-- Rivers.

ROOKIE REPORT: Sullinger was more effective off the bench than his numbers (eight points on 4-for-8 shooting, nine rebounds, two assists and a block) showed. He had four offensive rebounds, and had a few deflections in 23:31. . . . Atlanta's John Jenkins played token minutes, and did not register a statistic.

NOTABLE: In his third game back after shoulder surgery, Boston shooting guard Avery Bradley started for the second straight time. He shot just 3-for-9 to make him 6-for-20 in those starts and 8-for-26 overall. He added four rebounds in 19-plus minutes, and the Celtics are 2-0 with him in the starting lineup. Devin Harris missed his 11th straight game with a sore left foot. He worked out, but no timetable for his return has been announced. . . . Anthony Morrow missed his fifth straight game with a hip strain. . . . Four Atlanta starters played 41 or more minutes. The only one who didn't, Kyle Korver, fouled out.

UP NEXT: For the Celtics, Monday @ New York, Wednesday vs.Phoenix, Friday vs. Houston. For the Hawks, Tuesday @ Minnesota, Wednesday @ Cleveland, Friday vs. Utah.

• Celtics: Joseph, Melo, Wilcox
• Hawks: Harris

• Celtics: --
• Hawks: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #71 Rodney Mott, #31 Scott Wall, #44 Eli Roe
• Attendance: 19159
• Duration: 2:13