Hawks fall down 3-1 in series after hard-fought 129-121 Game 4 loss to Celtics

The Atlanta Hawks were at home to face the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Playoffs. They were not able to take the victory, losing 129-121.

With an impressive win on Friday to make the series 2-1, the Hawks had another chance to tie the series before heading back to Boston.

The Hawks came out knocking down a pair of threes early in the game, one from De’Andre Hunter and the other from Dejounte Murray.

As the quarter went on, the Hawks got into a bit of a slump offensively, and the Celtics capitalized on the other end. The Hawks struggled through most of the quarter, with the Celtics holding a 14-point lead at once.

Trae Young knocked down this step-back three before the end of the quarter to trim down the Celtics lead. The Hawks went into the second quarter down 35-25.

Saddiq Bey to it the rim with authority early in the second, getting the bucket plus the foul.

The Hawks tried to claw back to cut their deficit in the second, but the Celtics always had an answer. Hunter continued to knock down threes, giving the Hawks a much needed offensive lift.

The Hawks started to gain some ground down the stretch, cutting their deficit down to three points with the emphatic dunk from Hunter on the fast break.

Their big run didn't last for long, as the Celtics ran their lead back up. Going into the halftime, the Hawks trailed 65-53. Going into the third quarter, the Hawks came out with good energy on both sides of the ball, and cut their deficit down to five.

The Celtics once again answered, increasing their lead. The Hawks kept at it and continued to fight, and Bogdan Bogdanovic started it off with a nice drive to the rim.

Bogi didn’t stop there, hitting a big three to bring the Celtics lead down to just three points late in the quarter. Going into the fourth quarter, the Hawks trailed 92-87.

Onyeka Okongwu got this and-1 to go to start the fourth.

The Hawks and Celtics traded baskets through the fourth quarter, which was not a good thing for the home team. The Hawks got it the score within striking distance on numerous occasions, but the Celtics continued to hit big shot after big shot to keep them away.

In the end, the Celtics were too much down the stretch.

Young finished with 32 points and 14 assists, Hunter finished with 27 points, and Murray finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.

Game 5 will be on Tuesday evening.