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National Basketball Association
Atlanta 110, Boston 83
When: 8:30 PM ET, Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Officials: #24 Mike Callahan, #26 Pat Fraher, #30 John Goble
Attendance: 18987

ATLANTA -- There was no comeback on Tuesday night.

The Atlanta Hawks overcame a sluggish start with a sizzling run that put away the Boston Celtics 110-83 in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at Philips Arena.

Forward Mike Scott came off the bench to score 17 points, leading five Hawks in double figures, and Atlanta managed to slow down Boston point guard Isaiah Thomas. Kent Bazemore, Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap all made big shots for the scrappy Hawks, who pestered the Celtics into 20 turnovers in the blowout.

Atlanta leads the best-of-seven series 3-2. Game 6 is Thursday in Boston. The home team has won all five games so far in the series.

Thomas, who was booed relentlessly every time he touched the ball and trapped aggressively by the Hawks, suffered through his worst game of the series and tweaked an ankle in the fourth quarter. He finished with seven points on 3 of 12 shooting from the floor before limping off the court and back to the locker room with 10 minutes to play and the outcome long decided. The injury was considered mild, and Thomas indicated that he would be ready for Game 6.

Throughout the back-and-forth series, the Hawks grabbed big leads after slow starts by the Celtics. But Boston has had a knack at coming from behind, much like they did in the second half of a Game 4 win on Sunday in Boston.

However, there was no coming back from the out-of-nowhere barrages the Hawks dropped on the Celtics in the second and third quarters.

Midway through the second quarter, Atlanta was ice cold and had made only 6 of 34 shots from the field. But the Celtics, in part because of turnover issues and Thomas' early scoring woes, didn't take full advantage. Their biggest lead was 29-19 before the Hawks started to heat up.

Bazemore hit three nothing-but-net 3-pointers, fueling a 28-10 Atlanta run to close the half. The Hawks led 47-39 at intermission, despite a 0 of 8 shooting performance by forward Al Horford.

"In that first 18 minutes, I thought we were playing really well," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "After that, they were a little more physical, more aggressive. They were just better, just better."

Thomas did not score in the first half for the Celtics, who turned the ball over nine times in the first two quarters.

Still, the Celtics were very much in the game to start the second half and cut into Atlanta's lead early in the third quarter. Evan Turner hit a 3-pointer to bring the Celtics within five at 53-48. But the Hawks had another answer, and time it would be decisive.

Korver, Millsap, Scott and Dennis Schroder hit triples during a 2 1/2-minute stretch that electrified Philips Arena and put the Hawks in complete control with a 22-point advantage.

The Celtics had no answer and now must find a way to regroup heading back to Boston.

"You get ready for the next one," Stevens said of Game 6. "You get ready for the next one and you prepare really well and hope to come out of the way we came out, which was focused."

Turner had 15 points and Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart each added 10 points for the Celtics.

Scott hit 7 of 9 shots from the field, including two 3-pointers. Bazemore and Teague each finished with 15 points in a balanced effort that saw the Hawks rack up 30 assists on 42 field goals.

"It was a good team win," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "All up and down the roster, guys playing well on both ends of the court. Now, we just have to take this same type of mentality, same type of effort and take in the road."

NOTES: Atlanta F Paul Millsap tied the franchise postseason record for field goals made at 19 during his 45-point performance in Game 4. Hall of Famers Dominique Wilkins (twice) and Bob Pettit also accomplished the feat. .... Boston G Avery Bradley (hamstring) did not make the trip with the team to Atlanta for Game 5. Bradley injured his hamstring in Game 1 and is not expected to be available for the rest of the series. ... Boston coach Brad Stevens finished sixth in the Coach the Year voting, which was won by Golden State's Steve Kerr. Stevens said any time a team accomplishes what Kerr and the Warriors did in setting an NBA record for regular-season wins, it deserves to sweep the awards. .... Atlanta is in the postseason for the ninth consecutive season, the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference. ... Game 6 is Thursday in Boston. If necessary, Game 7 would be Saturday at Philips Arena.
Top Game Performances
 
Boston   Atlanta
Evan Turner 15 Scoring Mike Scott 17
Terry Rozier 4 Assists Paul Millsap 6
Jonas Jerebko 8 Rebounds Al Horford 8
Marcus Smart 4 Free Throws Made Jeff Teague 5
Jonas Jerebko 2 Steals Kyle Korver 5
Jae Crowder 1 Blocks Kent Bazemore 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Boston 83 37.7 7-29 18-25 19 44 6 5 20
Atlanta 110 43.8 14-35 12-16 30 51 3 13 12
Upcoming Games
  • Atlanta will play their next game on the road against Boston. The Hawks have a W/L % of .604 after a win and .559 after a loss.
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Atlanta. The Celtics have a W/L % of .604 after a win and .559 after a loss.