Celtics at Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks squandered all of a 19-point lead in Game 1 but recovered late in the fourth quarter and managed to pull out a 102-101 victory. The fourth-seeded Hawks will try to make it two in a row on Tuesday over the fifth-seeded and visiting Boston Celtics, who will be without guard Avery Bradley due to a “significant” hamstring injury suffered late Saturday.
Boston completed its comeback and took an 83-80 lead with 6:48 remaining on Saturday but had Bradley go down seven seconds later on the way back up the court. "Avery has a pretty significant strained hamstring,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters on Sunday. “I would say he would be doubtful for any of the remainder of the series, certainly very unlikely Tuesday night. As of right now, I would say he's out Tuesday night, but obviously he'll continue to get treatment around the clock and go from there. But I would say very unlikely the rest of the series." The absence of Bradley as a lockdown defender could open the floor even more for Atlanta guard Jeff Teague, who collected 23 points and 12 assists in the opener. Teague sealed the Game 1 win at the free-throw line and formed a potent pick-and-roll combination with center Al Horford.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT, CSN New England (Boston), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE CELTICS: Boston is touting the fact that it doesn’t have a superstar, and the players were leaning on the “next man up” philosophy after learning the significance of Bradley’s injury. "No change with Avery being out," guard Marcus Smart, who figures to move into the starting lineup, told reporters of his role. "Just have to keep doing what I do. It's just going to be (that) I'm going to have more time to make more effort plays and intensity plays and help my team win. Our little slogan is '(We're) one superstar.' It's us as a team. So this isn't anything new. If Avery was here or not, my responsibilities would be the same." The Celtics could also turn to rookie guards Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter to cover the extra minutes.
ABOUT THE HAWKS: Atlanta held the Celtics to 23.1 percent shooting in the first half of Game 1 and got the stops it needed down the stretch after squandering the lead. The Hawks were the more aggressive team throughout most of the contest and outscored Boston 52-36 in the paint and attempted 16 more free throws. "Another point of emphasis was physicality," Hawks forward Paul Millsap told reporters. "We weren't as physical last year (in the playoffs). (Saturday) was a good night to set that tone. I felt like, especially in the first half, we did that."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hawks assistant coach Kenny Atkinson was named head coach of the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday but will stay with Atlanta throughout the playoffs.
2. Celtics G Isaiah Thomas led the team with 27 points and eight assists in Game 1.
3. Atlanta SF Kent Bazemore recorded a playoff career-high 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting.