Boston Celtics send warning to contenders with blowout win against Atlanta Hawks

The Boston Celtics recorded a 112-99 victory at home against the Atlanta Hawks in a first-round NBA Eastern Conference playoff match-up on Saturday, April 15, 2023.

The Celtics finished second in the Eastern Conference to host the first round, while the Hawks defeated the Miami Heat in the play-in to advance to the playoffs.

The Celtics started their playoff campaign with a dominant first quarter to take a 10-point lead.

The 2022 NBA Eastern Conference champions did not relent in the second quarter as they put up 45 points to take a 30-point advantage to the halftime break.

The Hawks came back from the break with adjustments and put up 31 points in the third quarter reducing the deficit to 19.

In the fourth quarter, the Celtics rested key players as they held on for a 13-point blowout victory

The Celtics' dominance in the first half against the Hawks was spearheaded by the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Brown in 38 minutes of action led the game in scoring with 29 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and provided three assists and one steal.

In an efficient outing, Brown made 12 of his 23 shots, including two of six from three-point range, and was a perfect three from the free throw line.

Tatum his all-star colleague poured in 25 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and provided two assists in 40 minutes of action.

He made 10 of his 23 shots, including three of seven from three-point range, and was a perfect two from the free-throw line.

While their star players showed out, the Celtics' rotation also rose to the occasion in front of their home crowd.

Derrick White had a productive game with 24 points, five rebounds, and seven assists in 39 minutes of action.

Robert Williams was a big presence for the Celtics, chipping in with 12 points, eight rebounds, one block, two assists and one steal off the bench in 22 minutes of action.

The Hawks were let down by star player Trae Young to start their playoff campaign.

The point guard put up 16 points, three rebounds, eight assists, and two steals in 35 minutes of action.

Young was unable to recreate his play-in heroics against a Celtics defense rated in the top five during the regular season.

It was a bad first half for Young struggling from the field and deep unable to make his usual floaters.

He patched things up in the second half to end up making five of 18 shots, including one of five from three-point range and five of seven from the free-throw line.

Young was in a similar situation last year stifled as the Hawks suffered a 4-1 loss to the Miami Heat in the first round.

Following the trade to land guard Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs, Young was expected to be efficient but that was not the case in the first game against the Celtics.

The Hawks take on the Celtics again in Game Two of the series scheduled for Tuesday, April 18, 2023.