The Atlanta Hawks are learning to play without their star - something the Boston Celtics have experienced over the past year. The Hawks, who have split their first two games without leading scorer and rebounder Al Horford (torn pectoral muscle), look to protect their No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference when they visit Boston on Tuesday. The Celtics, likely at least a month away from getting point guard Rajon Rondo back from knee surgery, are a game behind Toronto in the Atlantic Division.
The Celtics ended a three-game skid with a 103-100 win over Cleveland on Saturday, but Boston continues to have difficulty closing out games. It watched a 22-point third-quarter lead dwindle before holding on against the Cavaliers. "We've made the last couple weeks an adventure, and we haven't played the right way the whole game," Boston coach Brad Stevens told reporters. "Whether that's in the first half or the fourth quarter, we have to become a better team for 48 minutes." Boston has won three straight meetings including a 94-87 victory Nov. 23 in Atlanta.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (17-14): Atlanta has been on fire at the offensive end, averaging 114.3 points over its last nine games and hitting 10 or more 3-pointers in a franchise-record eight straight contests. Point guard Jeff Teague (17 points, 8.3 assists) has carried much of the load lately, tallying at least 20 points and eight assists in four straight games. The Hawks are also benefiting from the strong play of forward Paul Millsap (17.4 points, 8.4 rebounds), whose job in the post becomes more difficult without Horford flanking him.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (13-17): Boston's fourth-quarter woes are becoming a major concern, but it held on against Cleveland despite shooting 26.3 percent and committing eight turnovers in the final stanza. The Celtics are built around strong defense, but all five starters average double digits in scoring with Jeff Green (16.2 points) leading the way. Avery Bradley isn't the distributor Rondo is but he has helped fill the scoring void in his absence and has put up double figures in six straight games, averaging 17.2 points during that stretch.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hawks SF Kyle Korver has stretched his NBA-record streak to 100 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer.
2. The Celtics have been outscored in the paint 90-50 over the past two games.
3. Atlanta has scored 100 or more points in nine consecutive games, its longest streak since 1992. Its last stretch of 10 straight games in triple digits came in 1988.