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After a very disappointing one-point loss in Cleveland on Tuesday, the Atlanta Hawks returned to State Farm Arena for the third game against the Boston Celtics in eight days. After separating the first two meetings, the Hawks exploded in a 127-112 home win, with Danilo Gallinari hosting a party for the ages.
Although there was doubt as to whether he would play after missing the second half on Tuesday with a concussion assessment, John Collins wasted no time making an impact. He scored seven quick points and, in tandem with two three-pointers from Tony Snell, Collins helped the Hawks take a small lead early on.
The first few minutes were positive in themselves, but things really started to break down in the Atlanta direction with an 11-0 run to take a 26-15 lead. That kind of push would be strong under any circumstances but, in this case, Trae Young scored all 11 points on his own, connecting on three triples and a float to put the Hawks in charge.
Young scored 13 straight points for Atlanta overall, but Boston had a counter punch, cutting the margin to 30-27 and forcing a timeout from the Hawks. It was as close as the Celtics could get, as Young and Gallinari pushed the Hawks to high offensive heights.
After 12 minutes, Young had 17 points and, with Gallinari knocking down two threes in the closing stages of the first quarter, the Hawks took a 40-27 lead. After the quarter break, Gallinari continued to warm up, converting two more three points and a layup to give the Hawks a 20 point lead. Then Gallinari hit home another three to stretch the advantage to 50-27 and, going back to the first quarter, the Hawks have scored 20 straight points.
After the Hawks wobbled a bit as the Celtics threatened (slightly), Gallinari continued his assault. He buried several 30-foot offerings, starting his night with his first eight shots including seven (!) Three points in a row. When the explosion subsided, Gallinari had 23 points in just 14 minutes.
Atlanta was having fun, very clearly, and that extended to Young who rummaged through his bag of stuff at the end of the first half to beat the shot clock buzzer in style.
The Hawks led up to 27 points before halftime, only to settle down with a 72-49 lead after 24 minutes of action. Gallinari and Young combined for 49 points, which matches Boston’s overall production, and the Hawks shot 61 percent from the floor and 13 of 21 three-pointers in the first half.
Atlanta’s first-half effort didn’t immediately translate into the second, with the Hawks missing their first five shots and opening 2 of 9 overall. This allowed Boston to narrow the margin to 73-56 but, on cue, Tony Snell and John Collins connected back to back to clear the damage.
The Hawks never got back to the same level in the third quarter, but there was a bloom. Kevin Huerter knocked down three points to reduce the margin to 24 and, immediately, Gallinari added his ninth three-pointer of the game to put the Hawks in front by 27 points.
Atlanta’s margin dipped slightly to 99-78 at the end of the third quarter, but the home side were certainly in a strong position. That position solidified as the Hawks entered the fourth quarter on a strong footing and Gallinari set a new franchise record with his tenth at three points.
On the stretch, the Hawks don’t necessarily need to keep the pedal down, and it shows. However, the team made more history in the dying moments, converting their 23rd three points on the night to set a new franchise record.
Overall, it was a night focused on the absurdity of Gallinari’s effort. He finished with 38 points on 13 of 16 shots, including 10 of 12 from three points. That three-point mark will go down in Atlanta’s record books, and it was quite a spectacle.
In support, Young added 33 points and seven assists, and he’s been brilliant in his own right. Collins put up a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, and the team scored over 1.3 points per possession for the entire game.
Following the win, the Hawks will now travel to Oklahoma City for a Friday night game against the Thunder.
Stay tuned.
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