Unfortunately, the standings now say differently. The Hawks pulled away in the fourth quarter to take this one, 118-107, and now have a one-game lead over Boston (plus the tie-breaker) for the third seed in the East. Unless the Celts win their final two and Atlanta loses their last two, the highest Boston can finish now is fourth.
Boston had no answer for Paul Millsap, who bullied the Celts for a season-high 31 points on 13-22 shooting, along with 16 rebounds and five blocks. Jeff Teague added 24 and Kent Bazemore had 21. The Cs had six players in double figures, led by Marcus Smart’s 19, but their shooting and scoring faded in the second half.