Banner Town Breakdown: Trae Young Dominates at TD Garden
Dale Zanine | USA TODAY Sports
The Celtics took on the Hawks on Wednesday in game two of a back-to-back. Trae Young brought his A-game, hurting the Celtics from everywhere on the court. His dominance led the Hawks to a 122-114 win over the C’s. Boston was slow on defense all night, and Atlanta scored in the paint at will.
Jayson Tatum had himself a bounce back game in this one. After struggling to stay efficient as of late, he put up 35 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists on 11/22 shooting from the field. He and Jaylen Brown, as one would guess, were the main offensive threats for Boston throughout the game. Brown finished with 22 points, 3 assists, and 7 rebounds.
Boston’s role players put in another solid shift as well. Robert Williams threw down a couple emphatic lobs and Aaron Nesmith continued to show off his hustle. Williams had 8 points and 3 rebounds while Nesmith finished with 2 points and 6 rebounds. Payton Pritchard had a solid game off the bench as well. He bailed out the C’s on a couple possessions in the fourth and ended the game with 11 points.
The real issue the Celtics faced this game was Atlanta’s relentless attack in the paint. Young was effective from all over the court but really thrived whilst attacking the rim. He scored a team-high 40 to go along with 3 rebounds and 8 assists. John Collins was also dominant at the rim, ending the night with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Atlanta had 40 points in the paint in the first half alone.
Clint Capela was another huge reason the C’s were struggling to defend in the paint. He led the league in rebounding going into this game, and that dominance was on full display as he pulled down 13 boards in this one. His scoring was also extremely efficient, netting 24 on 10/13 shooting from the field.
The Celtics had defensive issues all night long. Whether they were a step slow in rotation or not grabbing defensive rebounds, it just seemed like the Hawks were getting whatever they wanted at times. Boston was just always a step slow, and Young’s elite playmaking tore them to shreds. Atlanta shot 57.1% from the field on the night.
As the fourth went on the Celtics’ offense completely stalled. There was significantly less ball movement and Boston was turning the ball over left and right. Jeff Teague ended up playing a lot in the fourth, turning the ball over three turnovers his nine minutes. It was another rough showing for the veteran point guard.
Despite a late-game surge from Boston, Young ended up closing out the game with a dominant stretch to end the fourth. He was nailing deep threes and driving to the paint at will. His stellar performance quarter was the downfall of the C’s, as they fell to the Hawks, 122-114. The inconsistent defense of the Celtics came back to bite them in the end. Boston will get their chance at revenge on Friday, however, as they take on the Hawks once again. That game tips off at 7:30 PM EST.
