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 Presenting coach Brad Stevens with his first career NBA playoff
win, the Celtics got a career-high 42 points from Isaiah Thomas and
cut Atlanta's lead in the best-of-seven series to 2-1.
Game 4 is set for Sunday night at TD Garden.
The Celtics, who led by 20 points in the first half, saw a 19-point
lead early in the third quarter evaporate.
Atlanta never led by more than one in the chippy affair, and the
score was tied at 96 when the Celtics took over thanks to two
old-fashioned three-point plays by Evan Turner.
The Hawks failed to score a field goal in the final 3:51.
 Boston led by four when Thomas, who heard chants of "M-V-P" all
night from the rowdy crowd, hit a bomb to make it 108-101 with 1:53
left.
When Thomas stole the ball and was fouled with 42.9 seconds left, he
turned to the crowd and flexed his muscles before hitting his 41st
and 42nd points. He left to a standing ovation with 11 seconds left.
There were three flagrant-one and two technical fouls in the game.
Stevens, who lost his first six playoff games as a professional
coach, changed his starting lineup, inserting Turner and Jonas
Jerebko. Turner had 17 points and seven assists and Jerebko totaled
12 rebounds, 11 points and four assists.
Amir Johnson delivered 15 points and seven assists and Marcus Smart
had 11 points and five assists for the Celtics, playing without
injured Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk. Jeff Teague led the Hawks
with 23 points, Dennis Schroder and Kent Bazemore both had 20 and
Kyle Korver added 17. Paul Millsap and Al Horford were both held to
eight points, but Horford had 13 rebounds and Millsap 10.
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The Celtics, reversing the outcome of the first two games of the
series and their regular-season finale, jumped out quickly, breaking
out of a 2-2 tie with a 17-4 run and a 13-point lead that grew to 20
in the first half.
The lead was 12 at the half and Boston came out of the gate with
seven straight points to start the second half, taking a 19-point
lead 1:16 into the third quarter.
The Hawks caught fire and it took Jerebko floating one in off a
loose ball at the buzzer to keep Boston ahead by one entering the
fourth quarter. (The Celtics lost a point from earlier in the
quarter upon review.)
There were two verbal confrontations in the first half, one
resulting in double technical fouls called against Thomas and
Schroder. Then, both Boston's Jared Sullinger and Millsap picked up
flagrant-one fouls 20 seconds apart in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Schroder slapped Thomas in the head as Thomas
pulled up for a shot. Thomas removed his headband and smiled -- and
Schroder received a flagrant-one.
(Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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