Celtics at Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are losers of four of their last five games – a run that began with a 106-93 loss at the Boston Celtics on Nov. 13. The Hawks will try to turn things around and gain some revenge when they host the Celtics on Tuesday.
Atlanta is making a brief stop at home before heading out on the road for three straight and is trying to bounce back after losing its Eastern Conference finals rematch 109-97 at Cleveland on Saturday. The Hawks have been held under 100 points in each of their last four losses and shot 37.2 percent from the field against the Cavaliers despite having point guard Jeff Teague (ankle) back after a three-game absence. The Celtics suffered a letdown on Sunday with a 111-101 loss at the Brooklyn Nets – the eighth time in nine games that the outcome has been decided by double figures. Boston’s boom-or-bust play of late has mostly trended toward the positive with wins in six of the last nine contests.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE CELTICS (7-6): Boston dominated the pace of the first meeting and attempted 103 field goals to Atlanta’s 76 while forcing 17 turnovers and grabbing 17 offensive boards. The Celtics lost the rebounding battle 49-35 on Sunday against Brooklyn and lost its key scorer off the bench when Avery Bradley moved into the starting lineup. Bradley will likely hold onto that spot for at least the next two weeks while Marcus Smart recovers from a leg injury.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (9-6): Atlanta showed a little frustration when coach Mike Budenholzer was tossed in the second quarter of Saturday’s game after receiving a technical foul and making contact with an official. “We have a lot to work on,” Budenholzer told reporters after saying that any contact with the referee was unintentional. “That's the task in front of us." Teague came off the bench in an effort to hold his minutes down in his first game back but ended up playing more minutes (26) than starter Dennis Schroder (16).
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bradley is 16-of-31 from 3-point range in the last five games.
2. Hawks F Paul Millsap recorded two straight double-doubles and has seven on the season.
3. Atlanta G/F Kent Bazemore (ankle) missed the last three games and remains day-to-day.