Trae Young and John Collins each scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks beat the visiting Boston Celtics 108-92 on Friday to earn their sixth consecutive win.
Bogdan Bogdanovic added 19 points and was instrumental in an 18-2 fourth-quarter run that allowed the Hawks to turn a one-point lead into a 17-point advantage.
Atlanta, which led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, was up just 85-84 after a basket by Boston’s Jayson Tatum with 9:42 left. That’s when the Hawks pulled away, with Bogdanovic hitting two 3-pointers and contributing eight points during a surge that also featured five points from Young.
Two free throws by Collins with 2:56 left stretched the margin 103-86 and induced the Celtics to remove their starters.
The six-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference and the second-longest in the NBA. Atlanta held an opponent to fewer than 100 points for the ninth time this season and improved to 2-0 this season against the Celtics.
The Hawks pushed their home record to 13-11, and they have beaten Boston three straight times in Atlanta.
Collins blocked four shots, part of a season-high 11 for the Hawks. Young added six assists and two steals, and Danilo Gallinari scored 14 for Atlanta.
Boston got 26 points and 12 rebounds from Jaylen Brown and 20 points and six rebounds from Tatum. However, the Celtics’ reserves were outscored 46-17 by Atlanta’s bench.
The Hawks closed the first quarter with a 17-4 run to establish a 32-20 lead. Atlanta shot 57.9 percent from the floor in the second period and carried a 62-47 lead into halftime.
The Celtics outscored the Hawks 30-18 in the third quarter, with a bucket by Josh Richardson slicing the deficit to 80-77 entering the four.
The Celtics complete a back-to-back on Saturday at New Orleans. Atlanta will host the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
