The Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 108-92, at StateFarm Arena on Friday night.

The Celtics (25-25) and the Hawks (23-25) could very well be defined as two underperforming teams this season, but at least in this particular game, the Hawks stepped their game up when they needed it the most and raced out to a win thanks to a strong start and a solid finish. Atlanta jumped out to a 32-20 lead following the first quarter and one would have thought they would have taken full control the rest of the way, especially after a 30-27 score in the second quarter. However, Boston played the second half with a bigger sense of urgency and reduced the 15-point deficit to just three points following a 30-18 score in the third period. Boston did not have enough in them to mount a late fourth-quarter comeback and while they kept things close, ultimately the Hawks would end up securing the win following a 28-15 score in the final 12 minutes of action. Atlanta shot 46.1 percent from the field in the win, while the Celtics only shot 34.9 percent from the field in this defeat.

Trae Young and John Collins both led the Hawks in this victory since both scored 21 points -- Young also added nine rebounds, six assists and two steals, while Collins contributed nine boards and four blocks. No other Atlanta starter scored in double digits in this one, though. Bogdan Bogdanovic chipped in with 19 points off the bench, and Danilo Gallinari had 14 points while not missing a single shot from the field.

Jaylen Brown ended with 26 points and 12 rebounds in the loss, while Jayson Tatum contributed 20 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal. Marcus Smart delivered 17 points, six rebounds and two assists, and Robert Williams III posted a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. No other Boston player scored in double digits. Al Horford had one point.