NBA Playoffs scores: Celtics knock out Hawks, set up series with Sixers in round 2

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Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum led a closely-contested effort to end Trae Young and Dejounte Murray’s first season together

Boston got out to a quick 12-2 start in hopes an early haymaker would be enough to deter Atlanta, but they managed to stay in it early and throughout the game with no other double-digit lead by either team at any point in the game. The 14-3 Boston run to separate late, punctuated by a Marcus Smart three, sure did feel like a double-digit lead though.

The Hawks tried to claw back from the new deficit, coming as close as within six points with 20 seconds remaining, but they failed to inbound the ball from the nearside coffin corner not once, not twice, but three times, turning the ball over on the third attempt. Boston was able to hit enough free throws to close out the game and series, ending Atlanta’s season behind a 128-120 win.

Just a couple days after Jaylen Brown set a career-high in closeout games with 35 points in game 5, he scored 32 points in game 6, leading the way for both teams. His running mate Jayson Tatum added in 30 of his own, one off of his best for the series.

I’m not normally a “moral victories” guy, but this series helped turn what appeared to be a disaster season in the first of the Trae Young / Dejounte Murray era into a real step forward in what will now be the Quin Snyder era, battling in chess matches with his counterpart — and Summer League mentee — Joe Mazzulla, who finished the season as a finalist for Coach of the Year in his first year as an NBA head coach.

Celtics still have work to do in their season, matching up in round 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers, who have been sitting pretty resting since their 4-game sweep over Brooklyn. At least Boston will have homecourt advantage with the series getting underway on Monday.