Payton Pritchard dropped 36 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 109- 102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
Jayson Tatum added 26 points and 12 rebounds to fill the absence of All-Star guard Jaylen Brown due to Achilles tendonitis.
On the other hand, Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 29 points, CJ McCollum had 21, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 20, but Atlanta’s shooting touch faded after a strong start.
Pritchard led the spark off the bench for Boston, as they caught the Hawks by making seven straight triples during the second quarter, but the Hawks remained up at halftime 60-55.
The Hawks entered the final quarter within distance of the Celtics, which has the East’s second-best record.
Despite Tatum having a cold night from the field, missing 16 of 24, he was still the key in the fourth after driving to have a 97-86 edge with 7:29 left.
He also made three free throws after getting fouled from the three-point line to give them a 107-99
Atlanta entered Friday with 14 wins in their last 15 games, and had their three-game winning streak snapped after shooting 39% from the field.
Meanwhile, Brown missed his eighth game of the season, but the Celtics improved to 7-1 without their leading scorer. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said he was day-to-day.
Up next: the Hawks host the Kings on Saturday, while the Celtics visit Charlotte on Sunday.
