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The Celtics wrapped up the first half of the 2014-15 season Wednesday night with a huge 89-88 win over the East leading Atlanta Hawks.
Seemingly doomed from the outset, Boston shot less than 20 percent from the field and 10 percent from beyond the arc through the entire first quarter—and the second period wasn't much better. The Cs continued to jack up threes at a rapid pace while Atlanta inched further and further ahead with open looks from midrange and strong drives to the rim.
The Celtics were able to keep Kyle Korver in check for most of the first half, though, closing out quickly and forcing him to either pass out of or rush a three-point try. Unfortunately, the Hawks have three other All-Stars on their roster that picked up the slack, specifically Al Horford, who poured in 12 first half points on 6-9 shooting from the floor.
Other than a quick stretch to begin the third quarter in which the Celtics shot 3-5 from beyond the arc, both sides had a tough time putting the ball in the hoop. But somehow Boston was able to cut the Hawks' lead all the way down to six midway through the fourth and eventually made it a two point game thanks to a big three from Marcus Smart with about two minutes left in the game.
With the crowd behind them, Boston put together a few stops defensively, save for a couple of Korver and Millsap free throws, and it was a Jared Sullinger layup that would pull the Cs within just one after they had been down by as many as 18 earlier in the game.
Boston got a chance to win the game with 6.4 seconds left and after receiving the inbounds pass, Evan Turner put the ball on the floor, spun to his right and sunk a floater in the paint to win the game for the Celtics.
Final: 89-88.