Hawks Basketball: Instant Takeaways From Hawks Blowout Loss to Celtics

Atlanta was dominated by the Celtics tonight and now fall to 3-5

Nov 4, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) is defended by Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

For around a quarter and a half, the Hawks played solid basketball against the defending champion Boston Celtics. Then, a 34-9 run from the Celtics virtually ended the game in the first half. The Hawks were down key rotation players such as Bogdan Bogdanovic, De'Andre Hunter, Kobe Bufkin, and Vit Krejci, but the Celtics showed the wide gap between the two teams tonight. The Celtics won 123-93 and barely had to sweat outside of the opening quarter or so.

It can be tough to find big takeaways from a blowout loss, but I tried my best.

1. The Second Quarter Doomed The Hawks

The Hawks were only trailing 35-30 at the end of the first half, but they could not keep up. After taking a 44-41 lead with 8:39 in the second quarter, the Celtics ended the first half (and the game) on a 34-9 run that gave them a 75-53 lead going into the half. The Celtics shot 54% from the field and 47% from three, but it was their defense that did the work. Boston held Atlanta to 40% shooting in the quarter and 1-10 from three. The Celtics outshot the Hawks from the jump and made 11 more threes in the first half. The game was effectively over at that point and the Hawks never made it close.

2. The Hawks Three-Point Shooting Was a Problem

It is going to be a tall task for any team to outshoot the Celtics, but the Hawks did not even have a prayer. The Hawks shot 4-20 from three in the first half and with the way that Boston shot the ball, Atlanta did not give themselves a chance.

3. Trae Young Never Got Going And Had A Bad Night

Young has not had a lot of bad performances this season, but tonight was easily the worst. Young finished with two points on 1-10 shooting and six assists. The Celtics have elite defenders everywhere, but for Atlanta to have a chance to win these inds of games, Young has to be the best player on the court. He was not tonight and the results bore that out.

4. Onyeka Okongwu was the only bright spot

It is hard to come up with any positives in a game that is this lopsided, but Onyeka Okongwu played well in the minutes that he was in. He finished with a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) and shot 8-12 from the floor. Again, it was a bad night for everyone in the game, but I thought Okongwu consistently played solid and did some damage on the glass in the second half of the game.