Hawks Stun Celtics With Dominant Win in Boston
The Atlanta Hawks delivered a pointed response to a lopsided defeat earlier this month, beating the Boston Celtics 117-106 at TD Garden on Tuesday night as Jalen Johnson orchestrated a composed, all-around performance that steadied Atlanta from start to finish.
Johnson finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, anchoring a balanced Hawks attack that pushed their winning streak to four games and underscored a growing confidence on the road.
Hawks strike early and never yield control
From the opening minutes, Atlanta imposed its tempo. A sharp 12-0 run turned a tight start into a commanding 14-5 lead, silencing the Boston crowd and setting the tone for the night.
The surge quickly snowballed. A three-pointer by Nickeil Alexander-Walker capped a blistering first quarter in which the Hawks stretched the margin to 32-11, before closing the period ahead 38-18. Boston never fully recovered from that initial blow.
Johnson steers a balanced Hawks offense
While Johnson’s stat line stood out, Atlanta’s strength lay in its depth and ball movement. The Hawks recorded 29 assists on 45 made baskets, repeatedly finding open shooters as Boston’s defense scrambled.
Alexander-Walker led all scorers with 21 points, knocking down five three-pointers. Onyeka Okongwu added 17 points, while Dyson Daniels and Corey Kispert chipped in 15 and 13 points respectively. Atlanta finished 18-of-42 from beyond the arc, a level of efficiency that kept the Celtics at arm’s length.
Celtics rally falls short amid key absences
Boston steadied itself in the second quarter, trimming a 22-point deficit with an 8-0 closing run to trail 60-46 at halftime. The Celtics continued to press after the break, cutting the gap to 87-76 by the end of the third.
But without Jayson Tatum, sidelined by an Achilles injury, and big man Neemias Queta, who missed the game due to illness, Boston lacked the firepower to mount a sustained comeback. The Celtics never drew closer than 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 21 points and seven rebounds but struggled from long range, missing all five of his three-point attempts. Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, and Anfernee Simons each scored 12 points.
Revenge, discipline, and a clear message
The win carried added meaning for Atlanta. Just eleven days earlier, the Celtics had dominated the Hawks 132-106 in Atlanta. This time, the Hawks arrived with sharper focus and physicality.
Coach Quin Snyder had hinted at that mindset beforehand, saying of the earlier loss, “You want to feel it.” His team appeared to do just that, forcing 16 Boston turnovers and converting them into 23 points.
The result also strengthened Atlanta’s road form, improving their away record to 15-12, a mark that reflects growing maturity in hostile environments.
Why this game resonates beyond TD Garden
For basketball fans in Malta and across the Mediterranean who follow the NBA closely, the game served as a reminder of how swiftly narratives can shift in a long season. A heavy defeat can become a lesson; a return meeting, an answer.
Johnson’s performance, blending control and creativity, illustrated the modern NBA ideal: versatility over volume, precision over spectacle. For Atlanta, it was a night of quiet authority—a win built not on one star’s explosion, but on collective execution.
For Boston, it was a cautionary tale about the margins of elite competition, especially when depth is tested. And for the league at large, the evening reinforced a familiar truth: in basketball, as in life, poise in the opening minutes can determine the story that follows.
