NBA fans destroy Celtics after choking 30-point lead vs Trae Young-less Hawks: “Already in playoff form”

After clinching the Eastern Conference’s top seed, the Boston Celtics appeared poised to secure their 10th straight victory on Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks. However, Boston surrendered a 30-point second-quarter lead, falling 120-118 on the road, leading to harsh ridicule from NBA fans.

After outscoring the Hawks 44-22 in the first quarter, the Celtics extended their lead to 68-38 with 4:23 remaining in the second. Thus, they seemed in store for a relatively effortless victory against a shorthanded Hawks squad missing several key players, including star point guard Trae Young.

However, Atlanta quickly stormed back, cutting its halftime deficit to 18 points (74-56). The Hawks’ rally continued in the second half, as they outscored Boston 64-44 to complete their improbable comeback.

Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter clinched the victory, nailing a dagger 3-pointer to give Atlanta a 120-116 lead with 9.2 seconds remaining.

Hunter finished with a team-best 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four 3s on 57.1% shooting. Meanwhile, five other Hawks finished with 13-plus points.

Atlanta pulled out the surprise win despite a game-high 37-point performance from Celtics superstar forward Jayson Tatum.

Afterward, fans on X/Twitter were in disbelief, with many roasting Boston for its epic collapse against a significantly inferior opponent ahead of the playoffs.

“[The] Celtics just blew a 30-point lead to the Trae-less Hawks. Already in playoff form,” one fan said.

“Imagine choking away a 30-point lead to the ATLANTA HAWKS, who don’t even have Trae,” another said.

Here are some more of the top fan reactions to the Celtics blowing a 30-point lead against the shorthanded Hawks:

---

---

Despite choking 30-point lead against Hawks, Celtics sit comfortably atop NBA

While Monday’s collapse against the Hawks marked an embarrassing loss for the Celtics, it didn’t affect them much in the standings.

On top of already clinching the East’s top record, Boston (57-15) remains 6.0 games ahead of the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets (51-21). Meanwhile, the Celtics have won 20 of their last 23 games. So, they are well on their way to securing the NBA’s top record and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.

Notably, Atlanta (32-39) sits 10th in the East, in a play-in position. So, depending on how the play-in tournament shakes out, the Hawks could match up against the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.

Thus, Boston will likely use Monday’s defeat as a wake-up call to ensure it doesn’t experience similar letdowns come playoff time.

However, the Celtics will get a chance for redemption before then, as they rematch against the Hawks in Atlanta on Thursday.

---