The Atlanta Hawks blew a big lead in a Game 4 loss in Boston, but they didn’t do the same thing this time around, although things got a little dicey late. The Hawks surged out to a 28-point fourth-quarter advantage in Thursday’s Game 6 before holding on for a 104-92 victory to set up a second-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Atlanta controlled the game throughout thanks to superb defense (12 blocks), more cold shooting from Boston and an offensive explosion in the third quarter. The Hawks scored 39 points in the third and then dominated at the start of the fourth quarter to open up that 28-point advantage. The Celtics cut that margin to as little as 11 points on multiple occasions, but never got closer than that.
It was a balanced offensive performance for Atlanta, with all five starters scoring in double figures. Paul Millsap led that group with 17 points, while Dennis Schroder also made major contributions off the bench with 12 points and eight assists in relief of Jeff Teague, who battled through an ankle injury. The Hawks shot 51.4 percent from the field and racked up 26 assists.
Meanwhile, the Celtics’ shooting once again let them down. Boston shot just 36.2 percent overall and a wretched 7-of-32 from long range. Isaiah Thomas had 25 points and 10 assists, but he shot just 9-of-24 as he was constantly swarmed by red jerseys. Evan Turner had an especially awful game by shooting 4-of-17.
Atlanta now gets another shot at Cleveland after the ugly sweep in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. Another sweep seems unlikely, but it’s going to be a tall order for the Hawks to get past LeBron James and Co. That series will start on Monday.
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