The Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks 109-102 on Friday night at TD Garden despite Jaylen Brown being sidelined by left Achilles tendinitis. Boston improved to 49-24 while Atlanta dropped to 41-33.
Payton Pritchard led the way with 36 points, seven rebounds and four assists off the bench; he was 13-of-23 from the field and 6-of-11 from 3-point range -- a very efficient shooting night.
Jayson Tatum added an all-around performance of 26 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists.
Clock winding down? PUT IT IN PAYTON PRITCHARD’S HANDS. đŸ˜¤
Scoop lay just out of the reach of the defender to beat the 1Q horn! pic.twitter.com/5MZQL1Dvx2
— NBA (@NBA) March 28, 2026
The Hawks built a 60-55 halftime edge thanks to a balanced attack. All-Star wing Jalen Johnson paced Atlanta with 29 points, six rebounds and six assists, while CJ McCollum added 21.
Atlanta led by as many as 16 early, but the momentum shifted sharply in the third quarter. Boston outscored the visitors 32-22 in the period.
Boston is now 26-11 at home this season. The Celtics are four games back of the first-place Detroit Pistons and 1.5 games ahead of the third-place New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference standings.
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