On Thursday night at State Farm Arena, the Boston Celtics had their starting lineup intact for the first time since their 115-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Mar. 7.
Jrue Holiday returned from a five-game absence caused by a right AC joint sprain.
Derrick White, the other half of Boston’s backcourt, a.k.a.
“The Stock Exchange,” did not take part in Monday’s 120-118 defeat as the C’s blew a 30-point lead in the first of this two-tilt mini-series with the Atlanta Hawks.
The visitors went 1/15 from beyond the arc in the second half of that loss, cold shooting that extended into the start of Monday’s matchup.
They went 1/15 from three-point range in the opening frame.
They combatted that by repeatedly feeding Kristaps Porzingis, who registered 12 points, matching Dejounte Murray for the most in the first quarter.
His production helped the Celtics manufacture 20 points from inside the paint.
The hosts matched that production. But while Boston’s on-ball defense provided minimal resistance on drives, there was a clear intention to limit Atlanta’s impact from behind the arc, especially after the Hawks buried 11/19 (57.9 percent) of their long-range attempts in the final 24 minutes of Monday’s game.
Keeping the hosts to 2/8 from three-point range, with those stops helping fuel an 8-0 advantage in fast-break points, and the C’s only committing one turnover were paramount to taking a 29-28 edge into the second frame.
The Celtics’ on-ball defense remained a problem in the ensuing 12 minutes, as Atlanta generated 20 points in the paint for the second straight period.
The Hawks also parlayed eight offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points.
However, they went 3/9 from behind the arc. Conversely, the visitors found their rhythm, knocking down 5/7 triples they hoisted.
Neither side was pleased with the officiating.
That included when Jaylen Brown picked up a questionable third foul on a charge that, even upon Boston challenging the ruling, disregarded that Garrison Matthews was still moving his feet and did not get set in time.
