What mano a mano madness between the Hawks and the Celtics during a Game 6 that neither team wanted to lose! We had to wait for the very last moments of the game to see Boston take the best and grab the victory to reach the conference semi-finals.
As in Game 3, Boston started very strong thanks to its outside address (5/9 to attack the match), but did not manage to capitalize on this address in the score, the fault of a Trae Young on the momentum of his crazy end to the game during Game 5. The leader thus slammed the last 8 points of his team including two 3-point missiles to put the locals in the lead 48 seconds from the end of the first act, in an atmosphere completely crazy (34-33).
A close battle from start to finish
Bogdan Bogdanovic rivaled the Brogdon-Brown pair and helped put the Hawks back in the lead with help from Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu (50-46). Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown then chained the exploits to reverse the trend, and the Celtics went 13-2 under the impetus of their two leaders (62-66). With a floater and a service for the 3-pointers from John Collins, Trae Young made sure to keep his people in the game at the break (67-68).
The clinch continued after returning from the locker room, without either of the two teams managing to gain the upper hand. De’Andre Hunter’s two 3-point missiles and Trae Young and Dejounte Murray’s 2+1s raised the temperature (83-78), but Boston responded in stride with Al Horford from afar, a Malcolm Brogdon floater and two straight 3-pointers by Jayson Tatum (88-88).
Atlanta managed to finish the third act with a 6-0, the work of the Bogdanovic-Hunter-Okongwu trio to stay ahead (100-98), but the Celtics were still in the game, especially after the two successful shots by Malcolm Brogdon then Jaylen Brown, the latter then managing to equalize at 113-113, with a 3-point shot full of composure.
Tatum releases the Celtics
In a similar situation at the end of the last matches, the leaders of the Celtics this time knew how to keep their cool. It is indeed at this moment that the C’s managed their first “big” gap of the match, with a first 3-point bomb from Al Horford, another from Jayson Tatum followed by a masterful tap dunk from “JT” to complete a 9-0 (113-121).
Suddenly reboosted in attack, the Celtics then went to the end to snatch the qualification, between the 3-pointers, the lay-up and the last two free throws from Marcus Smart (120-128).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Three minutes that changed everything. The two teams fought a tough battle, and until the start of “money-time”, neither team had managed to break away from the score. Atlanta was still vibrating after the alley-oop concluded by Clint Capela to bring the mark to 113-110… Then it was the black hole. Three minutes during which Boston raised the tone to plant an 11-0 on three 3-point baskets from Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum which followed with a huge tap, thus conditioning the State Farm Arena for good.
– The clinical precision of the Celtics. If we no longer recognized Joe Mazzulla’s men at the end of the Game 5 match lost at home, we found a team on a mission in this Game 6, at the level of the one who went to win in Milwaukee in Game 6 of the conference semifinals last year. With a concentration, an application and a determination that ended up paying off. We will thus retain the success percentages in shooting, at 50% including 42.9 from 3-pointers, the 16/17 in free throws and the 7 small lost balls which reflect the rigor of the C’s in this match.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ The Brown-Tatum pair. Difficult to get one more than the other, between the 32 points of the first, at 6/8 at 3-pointers, who scored his share of important baskets, including the 3-pointers to equalize at 113-113, and the 30 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists of the second, who also lived up to his responsibilities when Boston needed him, in the third quarter when the green boat began to pitch, then at the end of match.
✅ Al Horford. Because he was the X factor of this last quarter by asserting his experience of important moments and his versatility, between his science of rebounding, defensive but also offensive, his interception then his block in front of Trae Young, his tap and especially his 3-point which helped to tip the end of the game.
✅⛔ Trae Young. Difficult to blame Trae Young since without him, the Hawks would already have been on vacation since Tuesday evening. But after a first quarter of fire, he lost a little of his superb in attack over the course of the meeting then, finishing at 9/28 in shooting and 5 lost balls for 30 points and 10 assists.
⛔ Dejounte Murray. We will remain on our hunger for Dejounte Murray, suspended during Game 5, and little in sight during this last game even if he still compiled 14 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds. We expected him with a knife between his teeth on this match, but he remained a little too much in the shadow of other elements like De’Andre Hunter and John Collins for example.
THE FOLLOWING
holidays for Atlantathe conference semifinals for the Celticswho will face Philadelphia with home-court advantage.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
