BOSTON, Massachusetts — The Boston Celtics scored their best win of the young season by downing the Atlanta Hawks 106-93 on Friday night.
Forward Kelly Olynyk hit two 3-pointers during a 21-9 run over the final 5:10 of the third quarter and guard Isaiah Thomas drained back-to-back 3-pointers to stave off an Atlanta charge as the Celtics evened their record at 4-4.
The Hawks (8-3) were playing without their coach — Mike Budenholzer leaving the team in Boston Friday morning because of a family emergency. Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson took over and while the players were clearly trying to win for their coach, there was clearly something missing from one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.
The Celtics built a 15-point lead two minutes into the fourth quarter before the Hawks led by backup guard Dennis Schroder and little-used center Mike Muscala, ran off 12 straight points to get to within three. They got no closer — but did cut a seven-point lead down to three with 3:03 remaining.
Boston then reeled off 10 points in 1:33, the last five by forward Jae Crowder, to ice the game. The Hawks were shut out for the final 3:03.
Thomas led the Celtics, who hammered the Hawks on the offensive glass and only committed 11 turnovers, with a game-high 23 points, 10 assists and five rebounds.
Forward Amir Johnson, playing his best game as a Celtic, had 19 points, eight boards and four assists, while Olynyk came off the bench with 15 points and Crowder added 13 points and eight rebounds.
Forward Jared Sullinger had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Celtics outrebounded the visitors 50-35, claiming a 17-5 advantage on the offensive glass, allowing them to win despite shooting 41 percent from the floor.
Atlanta’s big three — forward Paul Millsap, center Al Horford and guard Jeff Teague, who came into the game averaging a combined 51.8 points,19.9 rebounds and 14.2 assists, just weren’t factors. They finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.
Millsap led the Hawks with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Horford posted 13 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Teague’s second-half time was limited after he suffered what looked like an ankle injury near the end of the first half.
Muscala, who had 10 points in four appearances before Friday, scored seven points and had an assist during the rally. Schroder scored the other five points.
The game was tied at the half. Eight points by guard Kyle Korver in a 1:33 span helped the Hawks take a 60-59 lead with 5:23 left in the third quarter.
The Celtics then took over while the Hawks continued a sloppy evening that ended with 17 turnovers.
Pacers 107, Timberwolves 103
INDIANAPOLIS — Forward Paul George continued his torrid surge with 29 points and guard Monta Ellis added 24 as the Indiana Pacers built a big lead but had to hang on to win their third in a row, 107-103 over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
George scored at least 26 points for the sixth consecutive game, joining forward Billy Knight, forward Danny Granger and guard Reggie Miller as the only Pacers players to do so. Knight has the franchise’s longest such streak at 10 games.
Ian Mahinmi had 12 points and nine rebounds and Glenn Robinson III scored a career-high 11 off the bench against his former team as Indiana (6-4) won for the sixth time in seven games after starting the season 0-3.
Playing their fourth game in five nights — and second in a row without injured point guard Ricky Rubio (hamstring) — against a revamped Indiana lineup that plays with more defensive pressure and a faster offensive tempo, the Timberwolves (4-5) fell into a 27-point hole in the third quarter before finding their stride behind point guard Andre Miller.
The veteran scored all 10 of his points in a 30-7 run that cut Indiana’s lead to 94-90 with 4:32 left, setting up a dramatic finish. A layup by guard Andrew Wiggins cut it to 101-100 with 1:18 remaining, but Ellis drove left for a layup and then blocked Miller’s post-up attempt at the other end, leading to a free throw by forward C.J. Miles that made it a four-point game and effectively quell the visitors’ last threat.
Wiggins and guard Zach LaVine scored 26 apiece for the Timberwolves. Center Karl-Anthony Towns had 12 points and nine rebounds, falling just short of his seventh double-double. Forward Nemanja Bjelica scored 10 off the bench.
For the first time in nine games, the home team won in a Minnesota game. The Timberwolves had won their first four on the road, while losing their first four at home.
After a hot-shooting second quarter built an 11-point halftime lead, the Pacers kept rolling out of the locker room. With all five second-half starters scoring, Indiana put together a dominating 21-6 run to push the advantage to 87-60 late in the third period. The Pacers hit seven of their first nine shots in the second half to build upon their first-half momentum.
Indiana made all five of its 3-point attempts in the second quarter, including three during a 17-2 run that built a 55-42 lead. The Pacers shot .636 in the period to take a 61-50 lead into the break.
The only negative for the home team in the period was the loss of temporary Miles, who took a blow to the forehead with 3:55 left in the half, but passed the NBA-mandated concussion test at halftime and returned to the game midway through the third period.