5 takeaways from the Boston Celtics 99-110 loss vs. the Atlanta Hawks

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The Boston Celtics dropped back below the .500 mark last night, losing to the Atlanta Hawks, 110-99. Things got away from them in the second quarter and the whole game snowballed from there. Despite a solid game from Jayson Tatum, the offense still looked rough. What are some of the top takeaways from the game?

Takeaways from the Boston Celtics loss vs. the Atlanta Hawks

1. Jayson Tatum is alive

This was the first time all season that Jayson Tatum has looked like himself. Unfortunately, it just happened to be on the night that the Celtics got smoked. Tatum finished the game with 34 points, nine rebounds, and five assists while shooting 12-22 from the field and 5-12 from deep. He seems to have finally found his rhythm, but the offense around him just wasn’t clicking.

2. Offense looks stagnant

There’s still something very off about Boston’s offense. For the most part, it’s their inability to hit the three-point shot. The C’s shot 11-41 from downtown last night while at the same time getting absolutely torched by the Hawks. Atlanta only made two more threes than Boston, but they shot seven percent better from the field. The Celtics just can’t seem to put together back-to-back solid offensive possessions. They either find a way to turn the ball over, they run isolation for 20 seconds of the shot clock, or they simply miss a wide-open shot. It’s very aggravating to watch.

3. Grant Williams is here to stay

Grant Williams was absolutely phenomenal last night. He put up 18 points and six rebounds while shooting 6-12 from the field and 3-8 from deep. He’s one of Boston’s most consistent offensive performers, as weird as that is to say, and he brings the energy night in and night out. There’s not much more they can ask for in a guy like Williams. He’s always there to hit the open shot, and that’s more than you can say about a lot of the players on this team.

4. Enes Kanter should not get minutes

This has absolutely nothing to do with Enes Kanter’s off-the-court actions. In fact, the action he takes in his free time is actually very admirable, and something the NBA should acknowledge more often. However, Kanter cannot be getting minutes on this Boston Celtics team. Not only is he a revolving door on defense, but now he can’t even score the ball. He seems to have a serious case of the yips. Kanter shot 0-3 last night, and all of the shots were pretty much layups. Put in Jabari Parker or Grant Williams over him every day of the week. Heck, even throw in Bruno Fernando before Kanter at this point.

5. Atlanta figured out Boston’s defense

With Trae Young at the helm, the Hawks were able to break down Boston’s solid defense. Ime Udoka chose to try and double-team Young on almost every possession, and he made them pay for it. He was finding open guys both on the perimeter and in the paint. Then, since Boston double-teamed, Atlanta kept the ball moving and always found the open man. They were hot, too, so they seemingly always converted those chances. The C’s got caught slacking on some plays, giving up easy looks that cost them a ton of points when tallied up together. The Celtics have been great on defense, and this was likely just a hiccup that they can learn from, but it’s still worth noting.

Boston’s next game will be this Friday at TD Garden when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers. The game is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. (EST) and can be streamed on ESPN and NBC Sports Boston.