The Boston Celtics overcame a slow start vs. the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday to extend their win streak to eight games.
After trailing by 10 at halftime, the C's stormed ahead with a 42-point third quarter and held on in the fourth for a 105-95 victory. All-Star forward Jayson Tatum took over for Boston in the second half and finished with a game-high 38 points. Jaylen Brown added 17 while newcomer Derrick White chipped in 14 off the bench.
Trae Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Hawks with 30 and 26 points, respectively.
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Here are three instant takeaways from the Celtics' win, which brings them to 33-25 on the season. They'll look to keep the streak going when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.
C's show second-half resiliency
Over their last 10 games, the Celtics have looked like a completely different team than what we watched in the first half of the season. Sunday's gutsy win over the Hawks was no exception.
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They came out flat in the first quarter and couldn't get their shots to fall, especially from 3-point range where they began the game 0-for-6. That resulted in only 17 first-quarter points and a 10-point deficit at the half. They trailed by as many as 15.
Whatever head coach Ime Udoka said to the team in the locker room, it resonated. Boston exploded for 42 points in the third quarter and put its spectacular defense on display in the fourth to hold on for their latest impressive victory.
The biggest takeaway from the second half of the season -- not just this game -- has to be the team's newfound ability to close games out. These types of games haunted the C's for the first few months of the campaign, but they've erased those concerns so far in 2022. That'll go a long way as they look to continue their ascent in the Eastern Conference standings.
Jayson Tatum puts on a show
After watching Trae Young go off for Atlanta in the first half, Tatum decided it was his turn.
The three-time All-Star bounced back from a rough start and finished with a game-high 38 points (13-27 FG) as well as 10 rebounds. He dropped 25 of those points in the second half and 16 in the third quarter.
The Celtics have earned their fair share of blowout wins amid their hot stretch, so they haven't needed Tatum to play big minutes and take games over. They needed their star on Sunday, and he delivered with a brilliant performance to keep the streak alive.
Derrick White adds a spark
White won over the TD Garden crowd with an impressive Celtics debut and provided an encore on Sunday.
The newly-acquired guard followed up Friday's 15-point performance with 14 points off the bench. He wasn't quite as efficient from the field (4-14 FG, 2-10 3PM), but he kept the C's in the game with 10 points during an otherwise underwhelming first half.
White added five assists and four boards while playing as-advertised defense in the win with two steals. Even when the shots weren't falling, White found ways to make a significant impact.