Hawks at Celtics
Atlanta tries for the second time in the span of a month to record a 10th straight victory when it continues a four-game road trip at Boston on Wednesday. The Hawks, who had a nine-game winning streak stopped Dec. 13 in Orlando, picked up their ninth consecutive win Tuesday in Philadelphia, pulling away for a 105-87 final. Al Horford's triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists helped Atlanta survive the absence of star point guard Jeff Teague, who was given a night of rest.
The Celtics opened a three-game homestand with a 108-100 win over New Orleans on Monday, riding Jared Sullinger's 27-point, 10-rebound effort. They followed that up with the latest in a constant stream of trades, sending point guard Jameer Nelson — acquired in the Rajon Rondo deal last month — to Denver for Nate Robinson, who is expected to seek a buyout and sign with a contender, according to reports. Austin Rivers and Tayshaun Prince, also recently picked up in trades, had yet to report to practice Tuesday and are not expected to play a game with the Celtics.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (30-8): While Teague's superb season has garnered some early MVP consideration for Atlanta's floor general, the squad has not missed a beat when he has been out, going 4-0 in such affairs. Dennis Schroder had 13 points and six assists while starting in Teague's place against Philadelphia and fellow point guard Shelvin Mack had 12 points and a season-high 10 assists off the bench. When Teague struggled a bit against Boston at home earlier this season, Schroder emerged from the bench to produce 15 points and four assists in 23 minutes.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (13-23): Rookie Marcus Smart was expected to receive the bulk of the minutes at point guard after Rondo was dealt, but had a dip in his playing time soon thereafter. The latest series of roster shuffles has opened up a new opportunity for the Oklahoma State product, who had back-to-back double-digit scoring efforts for the first time as a pro before producing six assists against zero turnovers against New Orleans. He has also been aggressive and effective late in games, collecting 22 of his 29 points over the last three games in the fourth quarter.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Hawks' franchise-record road winning streak also stands at nine.
2. Celtics F Jae Crowder is averaging 13.3 points on 60.7 percent shooting in three games since being inserted into the starting lineup.
3. Atlanta is 5-3 on Wednesdays compared to 25-5 the rest of the week.