The Celtics continued their road trip with a 132-106 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Saturday night at State Farm Arena.
Jaylen Brown finished with 41 points on 14-of-30 shooting to go along with six rebounds in a somewhat homecoming for the four-time All-Star. When asked if he liked playing in his hometown -- he's from Marietta, Georgia (just outside of Atlanta) -- Brown said he doesn't enjoy it as much as many would think, despite having an MVP-type caliber season.
"I do not get excited. In the past I haven't really liked playing at home," Brown told reporters. "It's a lot of distractions being at home, so many people. But as you get older, I'm starting to find my middle ground. So tonight was good."
Brown was honored at Wheeler High School, where he graduated from, with his No. 0 jersey being retired Friday ahead of dropping another 40-piece against the Hawks -- which was the fifth time he's reached that plateau so far this season.
Sam Hauser added 30 points and tied a career-high 10-of-21 from 3-point range, while Neemias Queta (seven rebounds), and Anfernee Simons each scored 14 points respectively for the Celtics -- who were without Payton Pritchard (ankle), improved to 26-15 and won two straight.
Onyeka Okongwu led Atlanta with 21 points, 7 rebounds, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 18 points, six assists and Corey Kispert chipped in 16 points, seven rebounds off the bench for the Hawks, who fell to 20-24 and lost their third consecutive game.
The Celtics outscored Atlanta 52-28 in the second quarter, hitting 19-of-25 from the field, including 11-of-15 from behind the arc to take an 82-51 advantage at the break (a new team season-high). Brown (29 points) and Hauser (21 points) nearly matched the entire Hawks team in scoring for the first half. Boston reached 100 points within the first four minutes of the third quarter and led by as many as 43 before both teams emptied their benches.
The focus in the final frame was if Hauser would break the franchise single game three point record, which is 11 from Marcus Smart back in 2020. While he did not set a new Celtic record -- missing his final six 3-ball attempts in the period -- Hauser became the first player in NBA history to put up 20-plus 3-pointers without attempting a 2-point field goal.
"It was terrible, I remember when Sam almost got the record when we were in Washington. He hurt his ankle, and I didn't play that game so I was in the back , and I was like 'bro, you gotta get back out there, I need you to get that record'," Brown said when asked about Hauser's pursuit of the record. "He was like 'oh it's gonna come back to me.' That was two years ago.
"It was a joy to watch [Saturday], we were all rooting for him, but probably it was a little too much pressure for him."
Though Hauser hit seven of his first nine 3-point attempts in the first half, it looked like he was well on his way to finally break that franchise record. But the sharpshooter said he was fatigued down the stretch, despite his coach Joe Mazulla giving him the green light to pursue the record.
"At that point it was just like, let's get them up, let's see what happens. And then I got dead tired," Hauser said in his postgame comments. "The last couple, they were on line, they were just way short. So it is what it is. I'm glad Joe left me in to try. Appreciate my teammates for just kind of giving me the ball and being okay with that and let me kind of just throw them up there. But, maybe next time."
The Celtics will look to wrap their four-game road trip (2-1) on a high-note as they face the Eastern Conference leading Detroit Pistons (30-10) on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. NBC/Peacock will have the tip-off at 8:00 pm ET.
Game Notes:
Boston shot 51% from the floor, including 22-of-52 (42%) from 3-point range, while the Hawks were 37% from the field and 15-of-46 (33%) from long distance. The Celtics out-rebounded the home team 55-47, but were outscored in the paint 42-40. The C's also assisted 27 times on 46 baskets to Atlanta's 29 dimes on 38 made shots.
Boston shot 51% from the floor, including 22-of-52 (42%) from 3-point range, while the Hawks were 37% from the field and 15-of-46 (33%) from long distance. The Celtics out-rebounded the home team 55-47, but were outscored in the paint 42-40. The C's also assisted 27 times on 46 baskets to Atlanta's 29 dimes on 38 made shots.
Joel Pavón
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