[4] Atlanta Hawks 104-92 [5] Boston Celtics [Atlanta clinch series 4-2]
Heading into Game 6, the Atlanta Hawks were 0-5 in potential series-clinching games in Boston. They hadn’t won a game in Boston since 18 May 1988, in Game 5 of the Conference Semifinals. On Thursday, the Hawks had as many as six players in double figures to ensure a Game 6 win.
Paul Millsap led the scoring with his 17 points and 8 rebounds. Back-up point guard Dennis Schroder starred off the bench with 12 points and 8 assists. Atlanta iced this game despite 20 turnovers courtesy of their 51.4% shooting and Boston’s dismal 36.2% shooting. The Hawks also excelled on offense by assisting on 26 of their 38 (68.4%) field goals.
For Boston, Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points and dished out 10 dimes despite playing on a slightly gimpy left ankle, which he sprained in Game 5 at Atlanta. Jae Crowder (15 points), Jonas Jerebko (13 points) and Marcus Smart (13 points, 7 rebounds) all contributed but it was all of bad shooting percentages. The trio were a combined 40% from the field, not good enough when your star player is also shooting just 37.5%
Also read: Warriors' Head Coach Steve Kerr wins 2015-16 KIA NBA Coach of the Year Award
Much like most of the games in this series, the Hawks entered the locker rooms at halftime with an eight-point lead. This time, however, the team learnt its lessons from past collapses and came out strong in the third quarter outscoring the Celtics 39-26 in the period.
Their win means the face the top seed in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at the Quicken Loans Arena.
