Despite falling behind by 14 points in the third quarter, the Celtics seemed to believe they could win until almost the final buzzer. Instead, Atlanta earned its second win in a row and Boston dropped its fifth straight and 12th out of 14.
"It was one of those days," said Al Jefferson (18 points, 17 rebounds). "We had many chances to win the game, but it just didn't work out for us.
"Everybody hates to lose, but we're getting something out of it. We're playing better as a team and we're in every game. It's just coming down to mistakes we're making that are adding up and costing us games. We had 20 turnovers and they scored 32 points off them and we only lost by 4, so that makes it even tougher."
The Celtics opened the fourth quarter with a 19-8 run and took the lead, 85-84, with 6:30 remaining. Capping the run with a 3-pointer, Gerald Green pushed Boston ahead for the first time since the start of the contest. It was the Celtics' third straight 3-pointer, following two by rookie Allan Ray.
The game remained close down the stretch, though the Hawks managed to extend the lead to 5 on a few occasions. Trailing, 98-93, Green hit a 3-pointer with 63 seconds remaining. The Celtics had a chance to tie the contest for the second time in the fourth quarter, but Ryan Gomes took off before he had control of an outlet pass by Rajon Rondo and the ball trickled out of bounds for the Celtics' 20th, and mercifully, final turnover.
On their next possession, the Celtics tried to set up Green for another 3-pointer. Rivers had tweaked the play slightly from the one they ran moments earlier, but the small change kept the Celtics from getting the same result. Josh Childress (23 points, 14 rebounds) blocked the shot. A pair of quick fouls sent Zaza Pachulia to the line, where he made his free throws and established the margin of victory.
