Game 6: Celtics eliminate Hawks, prepare to face Sixers in second round

Game Recap: Celtics 128, Hawks 120

The Boston Celtics sent Trae Young and co. home packing after they defeated the Atlanta Hawks 128-120 in Game 6 Thursday at State Farm Arena. Boston finished the series 4-2.

Celtics’ Jalen Brown led the pack with 32 points, with Jayson Tatum tallied a double-double of 30 points and 14 rebounds.

Brown shared the team’s recipe for how they were closing out and outperforming the Hawks in this first-round series.

“Winning time, I guess,” Brown said, per ESPN. “Adrenaline, just that will and perseverance to finish the game. It was close and both teams was exchanging blows, we were both tired.”

“And we didn’t want to be the team going back home with an ‘L.’ So we just found a way to win.”

Tatum addressed the notions of “easy series” thrown around by pundits when Boston was scheduled to face Atlanta in the first-round playoff series this season.

“I know the narrative: We were supposed to sweep them, it was supposed to be a cakewalk,” Tatum said.

But it was not easy. Young finished Game 6 with 30 points and 10 assists. De’Andre Hunter scored 20 points. Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela contributed another double-double each.

The Hawks stepped up in the second quarter, tightening their defense and converting it into points. This strategy resulted in an 11-4 run that boosted Atlanta’s lead by seven.

“They really tested us, coming in here in this environment, and they had the utmost confidence in this game, and you could see it,” Tatum said.

“The way they played, the shots they were hitting. The crowd was into it. It was a fun game to be a part of.”

Overall team’s effort

The Celtics showed that they don’t only rely on Tatum and Brown. Marcus Smart scored 22 points, Malcolm Brogdon tallied 17, and veteran Al Horford had 10 for Boston.

“I thought Smart was tremendous, especially late in the fourth quarter,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He got us organized and then he was kind of the triggerman. They were blitzing, he made the right plays.”

The Celtics are up against the Philadelphia 76ers, who swept the Brooklyn Nets 4-0 in the first round. Game 1 is scheduled on Monday at TD Garden.