After a disappointing one-point loss in Cleveland on Tuesday, the Atlanta Hawks returned to the State Farm Arena for their third game against the Boston Celtics in eight days. After dividing the first two meetings, the Hawks exploded in a 127-112 home win, with Danilo Gallinari riding one night forever.
Although there was some doubt about whether he would play after losing the second half on Tuesday due to a concussion assessment, John Collins wasted no time in making an impact. He scored seven quick points and, in conjunction with Tony Snell’s two three points, Collins helped the Hawks to gain a small advantage in the beginning.
The first few minutes were positive in their own right, but things really started to break in the direction of Atlanta with a series of 11 to 0 to reach the 26 to 15 advantage. , Trae Young scored all 11 points alone, connecting in three triples and a floater to put the Hawks in control.
Young scored 13 goals straight for Atlanta overall, but Boston had a counterattack, reducing the margin to 30-27 and forcing a Hawks timeout. That was as close as the Celtics could get, as Young and Gallinari took the Hawks to offensive heights.
After 12 minutes, Young scored 17 points and, with Gallinari dropping two three points towards the end of the first quarter, the Hawks gained a 40-27 lead. After the fourth break, Gallinari continued to warm up, converting two more points and a tray to give the Hawks a 20 point lead. Then Gallinari hit another three-pointer to increase the advantage to 50-27 and, from the first quarter, the Hawks scored 20 consecutive points.
After a small oscillation by the Hawks while the Celtics (moderately) threatened, Gallinari continued his attack. He buried several 30-foot offers, starting his night by making his first eight shots, including seven (!) Three consecutive points. When the explosion subsided, Gallinari had 23 points in just 14 minutes.
Atlanta was having fun, very clearly, and that extended to Young digging into his bag of tricks at the end of the first semester to beat the bell of the firing clock in style.
The Hawks led by up to 27 points before the break, eventually settling in with a 72-49 lead after 24 minutes of action. Gallinari and Young combined 49 points, equaling the entire exit from Boston, and the Hawks hit 61 percent of the ground and 13 of 21 in the three-point range in the first half.
Atlanta’s effort in the first half did not translate immediately into the second half, with the Hawks missing their first five shots and opening 2 of 9 overall. This allowed Boston to cut the margin to 73-56, but Tony Snell and John Collins then hit three consecutive points to erase the damage.
The Hawks never found the same level in the third quarter, but there was a flowering. Kevin Huerter dropped a three-point basket to push the margin back to 24, and Gallinari immediately added in his ninth three points to put the Hawks back ahead by 27 points.
Atlanta’s margin narrowed slightly to 99-78 at the end of the third quarter, but the home team was certainly in a solid position. That position solidified when the Hawks started the fourth quarter with strength, and Gallinari set a new franchise record with his tenth three-point stroke.
In the final stretch, the Hawks didn’t necessarily have to keep the pedal down, and that showed. However, the team made more history in the closing moments, converting their 23rd three-point play of the night to set a new franchise record.
Overall, this was a night centered on the absurdity of Gallinari’s effort. He finished with 38 points out of 13 out of 16 shots, including 10 out of 12 in the three point range. That three-point mark will remain in the Atlanta record book, and it was quite an exhibition.
In support, Young added 33 points and seven assists, and he was brilliant in his own right. Collins managed a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, and the team scored more than 1.3 points for possession throughout the game.
After the victory, the Hawks will now go to Oklahoma City for a fight on Friday night against Thunder.
Stay tuned.