Nickeil Alexander-Walker poured in 21 points and Jalen Johnson posted a double-double as the Atlanta Hawks pulled away from the Boston Celtics for a 117-106 win Wednesday night, avenging a lopsided loss earlier this month.
Johnson finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Onyeka Okongwu added 17 points. Dyson Daniels scored 15 and Corey Kispert chipped in 13 as Atlanta won its fourth straight game.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 21 points, but struggled from long range, going 0-for-5 from 3-point distance as part of a 9-for-34 shooting night beyond the arc for the Celtics.
Atlanta set the tone early, knocking down 18 of 42 3-pointers (42.9%) and racking up 29 assists on 45 made baskets. The Hawks jumped to a 21-point lead late in the first quarter on Alexander-Walker’s 3-pointer and stretched the margin to 60-38 in the second quarter on a triple from Kispert.
Boston closed the first half with an 8-0 run, but could never make a serious push after the break. The Celtics failed to trim the deficit below 12 points in the second half, and coach Joe Mazzulla emptied his bench with more than four minutes remaining as fans headed for the exits.
Former Celtic Kristaps Porzingis, now with Atlanta after an offseason trade, remained sidelined with left Achilles tendinitis and did not travel with the team.
Up next:
Hawks: Host Houston on Thursday night.
Celtics: Host Sacramento on Friday night.
