In Wednesday night’s much-anticipated showdown with Cleveland, the Celtics were reminded of their place—that they’re still no real threat to the Cavs’ title.
Boston lost, 114-91, in what was one of their most sluggish and ugliest a games of the regular-season, while also missing out on the opportunity to reclaim supremacy over the East. Isaiah Thomas, who led the Celtics with 26 points in the loss, will look carry his teammate back on the right track in tonight’s visit to Atlanta.
Both teams have split the first two meetings this season, with Thomas averaging 23.5 points and 8.0 assists during those games. However, he will need Al Horford and Jae Crowder to pitch in more on offense, especially when the Hawks’ stout defense turns all of its attention on the All-Star point guard.
Horford and Crowder finished with 12 and 13 points, respectively, and 11 rebounds combined versus Cleveland.
If the postseason started today, the Hawks will be the East’s sixth-seeded team. But with five more regular-season games remaining, there’s still a chance for Atlanta to drop from its current spot, or even from the playoff picture itself.
Hence, the Hawks can’t really afford to lose anymore. They’ve dropped their last two games (1-1 ATS)—with the latest of which against a resurgent Brooklyn side on Sunday.
Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway Jr. led Atlanta with 16 and 14 points, respectively, while Paul Millsap returned from a seven-game absence to pitch in 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting with four boards off the bench.
What truly doomed the Hawks was their head-scratching amount of turnovers (20) that turned into 28 opponent points. On the flipside, Atlanta did force 21 turnovers on Brooklyn but failed to capitalize on those opportunities. That obviously can’t be the case again in this regular-season finale with Boston.
