The Atlanta Hawks made a remarkable comeback by erasing a 30-point deficit to beat the top-seeded Boston Celtics 120-118 on Monday.
The Celtics, who had already secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference earlier in the day, seemed to be on track for a big victory after dominating the Atlanta Hawks 44-22 in the first quarter. The Celtics quickly built a 30-point lead in the second quarter before the Atlanta Hawks started to narrow the gap. The Atlanta Hawks continued their comeback in the second half, cutting the deficit with a 34-22 third quarter and carrying that momentum into the final quarter to secure a thrilling win.
De’Andre Hunter led the Atlanta Hawks with 24 points, including a crucial three-pointer in the closing seconds that sealed the victory. Bogdan Bogdanovic contributed 22 points, and Dejounte Murray had 19 points, 15 assists, and five rebounds. Atlanta’s win improved their record to 32-39, keeping them in 10th place in the Eastern Conference and on track for a spot in the play-in tournament.
In another location, Donte DiVincenzo had an outstanding performance in three-point shooting, scoring a career-high 40 points as the New York Knicks continued their strong push towards the playoffs with a dominant 124-99 victory over the struggling Detroit Pistons. DiVincenzo made 11 out of 20 three-point attempts, coming close to Klay Thompson’s record of 14 in a single game set in 2018. Jalen Brunson also contributed with 28 points as the Knicks advanced to a 43-28 record, maintaining their fourth-place position in the Eastern Conference.
In San Antonio, the duo of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker from the Phoenix Suns scored a total of 65 points, but it wasn’t sufficient to stop the Spurs from securing a surprising 104-102 victory. Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell both scored 26 points each as the San Antonio team, which is at the bottom of the Western Conference, earned their 16th win of the season.
In the Western Conference, Denver dominated Memphis Grizzlies with a 128-103 victory, moving closer to securing the top seed. The reigning NBA champions had a comfortable wire-to-wire win, led by Nikola Jokic who contributed 29 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Denver currently holds the top spot in the Western Conference with a 51-21 record, just one win ahead of Oklahoma in second place at 49-21.
In Salt Lake City, Luka Doncic achieved his 19th triple-double of the season by scoring 29 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing out 13 assists as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz 115-105.
