Much like their regular season finale against Miami, the Celtics did not show up in the first half Saturday night against Atlanta but did make a furious second half comeback. The ultimateresult this time wasn’t as fruitful for Boston. The C’s outscored the Hawks 67-51 in the second half, but fell in Game 1 of their first round series, 102-101 in Atlanta. A late Jae Crowder 3-pointer had the Celtics thinking overtime but Jeff Teague’s free throws sealed it for the Hawks.
The Celtics suffered what could be a major blow as Avery Bradley left the game with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. Bradley reportedly heard something “pop” before leaving the game. Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics with 27 points, followed by Bradley – who had 18.
Al Horford(24), Kent Bazemore(23) and Jeff Teague (23) all pumped in 20-plus points for Atlanta.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is set for Tuesday (7 p.m., TNT, CSNNE) in Atlanta.
Celtics a hurtin’ unit after Game 1 loss to Hawks
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