Despite having a 30-point lead against the Atlanta Hawks, the Boston Celtics still managed to lose against them down the stretch. This prompted Jaylen Brown to drop brutal and honest take on their collapse during the game.
In that game, the Celtics blew a 30-point lead and allowed the Hawks to go home with the 120-118 win. De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 24 and 22 points, respectively to lead Atlanta’s offense against Boston. Dejounte Murray also added 19 points and 15 assists against the third-ranked defense in the NBA.
Meanwhile, the Celtics saw Jayson Tatum shoulder much of the offensive load when he dropped 37 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Jaylen Brown added 24 points and Kristaps Porzingis contributed 17 points against the Hawks.
Even though they lost, the Celtics still retained its hold on the top spot with a record of 57-15. Atlanta, on the other hand, is still in 10th place with 32 wins and 39 losses. As it stands, the Hawks are projected to participate in the Play-In Tournament while Boston has already secured a spot in the playoffs.
After the game, Tatum aired his frustration to reporters for allowing the Hawks to get past by their 30-point lead. For his part, Brown felt the same way when he spoke to the media, as seen in a video posted by Noa Dalzell on X:
Jaylen Brown on the Celtics blowing the lead vs the Hawks:
“We was up 30 and kind of took our foot off the gas, and it cost us.”
“We got a little casual, we got a little distracted, and it cost us.”
(Via @CelticsCLNS) pic.twitter.com/YcuZbIN9kQ
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) March 26, 2024
Brown’s assessment of their performance was spot-on as they had the more talented roster against a struggling Hawks team without All-Star guard Trae Young. Plus, their offense and defense are within the top-five in the league, making their loss to Atlanta much more painful.
With only a couple of weeks left in the regular season, every game against Boston is crucial for most teams in the NBA. It only gets more competitive in the playoffs and the Celtics must rise to the occasion when that time comes. When that happens, expect more eyes to be on Brown and his team to see whether they can get past this kind of pressure and manage to win it all this year.
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