The Atlanta Hawks cruised to their fourth-straight the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, winning 117-106 on the road.
The Celtics dominated the Hawks just eleven days prior, posting a final score of 132-106. Jalen Brown and Sam Hauser combined for 71 points in what was nothing short of a disaster from Atlanta. From the jump, you could see that the Hawks wanted revenge.
Boston initially jumped to a 5-2 lead in the first minutes of the game. Atlanta then embarked on a truly ridiculous 30-6 run over the next eight minutes to make it a 32-11 game. Whatever shot Atlanta took in the first quarter just seemed to fall. Even the non-shooters were nailing their shots – Dyson Daniels and Mo Gueye cashed in threes at the end of this run, seemingly sensing the magic in the air that wouldn’t allow them to miss.
The Hawks would stay in control for the rest of the night, only dipping below a double-digit lead for a matter of 46 seconds after the first quarter.
This will be a game to remember… and forget
Dyson Daniels has struggled with his confidence this season. I could see it; you could see it; most importantly, Hawks’ play-by-play analyst Bob Rathburn saw it too.
After Daniels hit his three, Rathburn explained that when he spoke to Daniels about his shooting, the Australian forward described it as “terrible” this season. When he finally broke his 40+ day-long streak without a made three on Monday night, Daniels said he felt a major sense of “relief.”
You could tell Dyson felt unburdened by his previous struggles today. He didn’t just knock down a three – he took the shot without hesitating, despite an insulting defensive response from Boston’s Hugo Gonzalez, who made no attempt to guard the three until the shot was already on the way up.
Daniels finished the night with 15 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, and a block. He also did an excellent job guarding Brown, who mustered up a measly 21 points on 20 field goal attempts. Beware the Great Barrier Thief!
In the mid-fourth quarter, the game was all but over. Atlanta was up 15-points, and the starters were waiting for a few more minutes to pass so they could rest during garbage time. Brown drove on Daniels, who once again stifled his drive. Ever-frustrated, Brown spun into the lane, recklessly throwing his elbows around head level. One of these blows caught Onyeka Okongwu in the face.
It is quite rare for an injury suffered during a basketball game to make me queasy. This was one of those moments. Okongwu appeared to be missing multiple teeth, or at least fragments of multiple teeth. After the play was reviewed and Okongwu was awarded a pair of free throws, his now broken, red smile was broadcast to all. I wouldn’t recommend looking this one up.
Okongwu will certainly miss time to a future dental procedure, but don’t let this ruin your day. The Hawks are on a four-game streak; Dyson Daniels has made threes in two consecutive games; the team has a backup center; and the Falcons didn’t make a horrible coaching hire. Life is good in the 404.