Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics
· National Basketball AssociationPritchard and Tatum help Celtics beat the Hawks 109-102 without Brown
Jalen Johnson scored 29 points and CJ McCollum had 21 for the Hawks, who came in 15-2 since the All-Star break, best in the Eastern Conference. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 20 points but Atlanta's shooting touch faded as the game progressed after a strong start.
Boston played without All-Star guard Jaylen Brown, who was ruled out with Achilles tendinitis.
Behind Pritchard’s spark off the bench and a dramatic swing beyond the arc, the Celtics caught the Hawks after trailing 25-9 in the first quarter. Boston made seven straight 3-pointers during the second quarter, but Johnson and Atlanta went into halftime up 60-55.
Fresh off an overtime victory over Eastern Conference leader Detroit, Atlanta entered the final quarter within striking distance of Boston, which has the East's second-best record. Tatum had a tough night from the field, missing 16 of 24 shots, yet his spinning drive to the rim gave Boston a 97-86 lead with 7:29 remaining.
After getting fouled on a 3-point attempt with time winding down on the shot clock, Tatum sealed it with three free throws that gave Boston a 107-99 lead with a minute left.
The surging Hawks entered Friday with 14 wins in their last 15 games. They had their three-game winning streak snapped after shooting 39% from the field.
Brown missed his eighth game of the season. The Celtics improved to 7-1 without their leading scorer. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said he was day to day.
Celtics: Travel to face Charlotte on Sunday.
Regular Season Series
BOS leads series 2-1
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 102 - 109 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 102 - 109 |
| 4th 12.9 |  |
Sam Hauser enters the game for Neemias Queta | 102 - 109 |
| 4th 12.9 | |
Celtics Full timeout | 102 - 109 |
| 4th 12.9 | |
Celtics Full timeout | 102 - 109 |
Statistics
 ATL |
 BOS |
|
|---|---|---|
| 34-87 | FG | 38-81 |
| 39 | Field Goal % | 47 |
| 15-42 | 3PT | 14-35 |
| 36 | Three Point % | 40 |
| 19-24 | FT | 19-23 |
| 79 | Free Throw % | 83 |
| 35 | Rebounds | 52 |
| 10 | Offensive Rebounds | 13 |
| 25 | Defensive Rebounds | 39 |
| 23 | Assists | 26 |
| 6 | Steals | 0 |
| 4 | Blocks | 4 |
| 4 | Turnovers | 15 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 4 | Total Turnovers | 16 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 4 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 20 |
| 14 | Fast Break Points | 6 |
| 34 | Points in Paint | 38 |
| 21 | Fouls | 20 |
| 16 | Largest Lead | 11 |
| 6 | Lead Changes | 6 |
| 51 | Percent Led | 43 |
Boston Celtics Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Jayson Tatum, F | Out | May 2 |
Atlanta Hawks Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Keshon Gilbert, G | Out | Apr 22 |
| Jock Landale, C | Out | Apr 16 |
Game Information
Location: Boston, MA
Attendance: 19,156 · Capacity:
2025-26 Southeast Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Atlanta |
46 | 36 | .561 | - | L1 |
 Orlando |
45 | 37 | .549 | 1 | L1 |
 Charlotte |
44 | 38 | .537 | 2 | W1 |
 Miami |
43 | 39 | .524 | 3 | W2 |
 Washington |
17 | 65 | .207 | 29 | L10 |
2025-26 Atlantic Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Boston |
- | 26 | W2 | 0.68292683 | 56 |
 New York |
3 | 29 | L1 | 0.64634144 | 53 |
 Toronto |
10 | 36 | W1 | 0.5609756 | 46 |
 Philadelphia |
11 | 37 | W2 | 0.5487805 | 45 |
 Brooklyn |
36 | 62 | L3 | 0.24390244 | 20 |
NBA News
Taylor Swift's courtside Cavs ECF seat goes up for bidding
The Grammy Award-winning artist and her soon-to-be-husband Travis Kelce attended Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
NBA championship and Finals MVP odds: Knicks are big title favorites after taking 2-0 lead on Spurs
The Knicks' incredible playoff run continues, as they are up 2-0 on the Spurs and head to New York as big championship favorites.
2026 NBA Finals: Important plays, lessons from Knicks-Spurs Game 2
Is it time to panic for San Antonio? Let's break down Knicks-Spurs Game 2 from all angles, then look ahead to a massive Game 3 in New York.
2026 NBA Finals: Biggest takeaways from Knicks-Spurs Game 2
NBA insiders break down the biggest takeaways from Game 2 of the NBA Finals and look ahead to the rest of the Knicks-Spurs showdown.
Salesian Sisters are divine force behind Spurs' NBA Finals hopes
A group of Catholic sisters have gone viral for their decades-long dedication to their hometown team. If their prayers are answered, the Wemby Era will begin with a Spurs win.