The Boston Celtics very well might be the best team in the NBA, and yet, they’re running into quite the problem: Figuring out how to beat the Atlanta Hawks in March while Trae Young is out injured. Earlier this week, Atlanta came back from 30 points down to pick up a 120-118 win over the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference.
A few days later and history didn’t quite repeat itself, but once again, the Hawks picked up a thrilling win over the Celtics. While neither team led by as many points as Boston did on Monday, it was a back-and-forth affair that saw Atlanta come out on top, 123-122, behind a ridiculous night from Dejounte Murray. With Young sidelined, Murray had a career-high 44 points on 18-for-44 shooting with seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a block, along with the game-winning shot with 0.01 seconds remaining.
DEJOUNTE MURRAY PUTS ATLANTA ON TOP WITH 0.1 LEFT IN OT!
Get to the NBA App: https://t.co/SKcVXNJBFv pic.twitter.com/6rNqjhjl9E
— NBA (@NBA) March 29, 2024
Boston actually had a chance to win, as a timeout advanced the ball into the frontcourt. Derrick White ended up making a shot, but there was just one problem: Since he was the inbounder on the play, it did not count, and possession went right back to the Hawks.
DERRICK WHITE FOR THREE … to end the game because he was OOB pic.twitter.com/7ZliCKJW2d
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) March 29, 2024
With the win, the Hawks became the first team to beat Boston twice this season.