Things were going very well for the Atlanta Hawks until the final minutes of the second quarter. Unfortunately for Atlanta, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett started draining jumpers.
Pierce has 14 points and Rajon Rondo nine to lead the Boston Celtics to a 52-44 lead at the break.
Jamal Crawford posted 15 points and Josh Smith and Al Horford six each for Atlanta, which is shooting just 41-percent (16-for-39) from the field.
Atlanta and Boston were tied at 42 when Joe Johnson split a pair of free throws with 2:28 left in the second before the Celtics erupted for eight straight points split evenly between Pierce and Garnett. Horford answered with a bucket before Rondo finished the half with a jumper.
Atlanta was held off of the scoresheet for the first four minutes of the quarter before Kirk Hinrich and Jamal Crawford got hot. Crawford posted 12 straight Atlanta points to post the Hawks to a 41-40 lead with 4:00 left in the frame.
Delonte West netted eight points and Glen Davis seven for the Celtics, who shot a blistering 56-percent (20-for-36) from the field in the first half.