Celtics Conquer Hawks, Extend Blazing Win Streak to 10

The juggernaut Boston Celtics showed no signs of slowing down Monday night, demolishing the Atlanta Hawks 128-101 to extend their scorching winning streak to 10 games. The league-leading Celtics improved to 58-14 on the season, while the struggling Hawks fell to 31-40.

Unstoppable on both ends, Boston simply overpowered an overmatched Atlanta squad. The Celtics’ offense was a buzzsaw from the opening tip, slicing apart the Hawks’ defense with surgical precision. Jayson Tatum led the way with 32 points on 12-of-19 shooting, while Jaylen Brown added 25 points of his own.

“When we’re rolling like this, it’s tough for teams to stop us,” said Tatum. “We’re just playing free, letting the game come to us. As long as we keep defending and sharing the ball, the scoring will take care of itself.”

Indeed, the unselfish Celtics racked up 31 assists, with Malcolm Brogdon dishing 9 dimes to go along with his 14 points off the bench. Boston’s ball movement was a thing of beauty, as they continually found the open man and capitalized from beyond the arc, draining 17 three-pointers.

“Their offense is like a high-powered locomotive - once it gets rolling, it’s almost impossible to stop,” said Hawks head coach Quin Snyder. “They carve you up with their passing and knock down shots from everywhere.”

While the Celtics’ historically great offense stole the spotlight, their defense was equally impressive. Employing their trademark discipline and physicality, Boston held Atlanta to just 41% shooting and forced 16 turnovers.

“Our defense is our identity,” said Marcus Smart, who tallied 4 steals. “When we make stops like that, it ignites our break and makes everything easier on offense.”

Trae Young scored 23 points for the Hawks, but was largely neutralized by Boston’s swarming team defense. Recent acquisitions Saddiq Bey and Dejounte Murray chipped in 19 points apiece, but their production was not nearly enough in the face of the Celtics’ onslaught.

With the playoffs rapidly approaching, Boston is showing no signs of slowing down their torrid pace. Their dynamic offense and lock-down defense have them looking like clear favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals yet again.

“We’ve still got bigger goals to accomplish,” said head coach Joe Mazzulla. “A 10-game streak is great, but we’re just getting started. If we keep playing unselfish basketball and defending at this level, the sky’s the limit.”

The middle stretch of the schedule was a grind, but the Celtics have clearly weathered the storm and are rounding into terrifying form as the postseason nears. Their latest demolition of a conference rival only adds to the growing belief that this could finally be the year Boston breaks through and claims that elusive 18th championship.