By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Boston Celtics’ dominant opening campaign in the ongoing NBA regular season continued after they hosted a demolition exhibition against the Atlanta Hawks, 123-93, on November 5, 2024.
After back-to-back double-digit wins over fellow Eastern Conference team Charlotte Hornets in the past three days, the Celtics showed no signs of slowing down as they massacred Trae Young and the Hawks on the road.
Jayson Tatum once again caught fire early in the game. He steered the Celtics to a 22-point cushion after the first half when he had already dropped 26 markers, schooling every defender Atlanta threw at him while also making five three-pointers.
In just the first two quarters against the Hawks, Tatum almost surpassed his scoring total in their last game against the Hornets where he dropped 29, only two points away from reaching the 30-point mark.
With the quick avalanche that Boston poured over the Hawks in the first half, Young and the rest of the struggling Atlanta squad failed to get back into the ball game and didn’t trim their deficit to a single digit during the whole stretch of the final two cantos.
The Celtics bombarded Atlanta with 18 drained three-pointers and also outrebounded them, 50-43, which led to eight second-chance points for Boston.
However, the biggest storyline of the game was how the Celtics went off to the races the whole game, tallying 35 fast break points compared to Atlanta’s four.
Boston intercepted the leather 15 times as they put on a show once again on the defensive end while also recording seven blocks.
Tatum only scored a deuce in the second half but the Celtics didn’t need his offensive contributions anymore when they ballooned their lead to as much as 37 points in the second half.
Aside from his scoring display, Tatum also had a near triple-double performance when he nabbed nine assists, six rebounds, and two steals.
Backstopping Tatum in Boston’s lopsided win was Derrick White who joined him in eclipsing the 20-point mark with 21 points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a block.
Payton Pritchard also sustained his microwave hands off the bench and spearheaded Boston’s second unit with 18 markers built from three treys and four field goals from the perimeter.
The Celtics will look to collect their fourth consecutive NBA victory on November 7, 2024, when they seek to protect their home court against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
