The Atlanta Hawks were eliminated from the 2023 NBA Playoffs following their 128-120 loss against the two-seeded, Boston Celtics. This was a back-and-forth affair from start to finish, with both teams looking to claim the Game 6-victory.
A late 11-0 run by the Celtics helped secure the win on the road for the second time in this series. The Celtics, once again, road the coattails of their tandem forwards, Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists, while Brown topped him with 32 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
It is worth noting that former-Hawk, Al Horford, hit a key three that was a part of the late 11-0 run by Boston. He finished with another playoff double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon, the Georgia-native, chipped in another great performance off the bench with 17 points and 4 assists.
As for Atlanta, the starting unit did what was necessary to win this game, but ultimately, ran out of steam toward the end. Trae Young poured in his third straight 30-point performance, finishing with 30 points and 10 assists, adding another playoff double-double of 30+ points and 10+ assists. Young had 23 points in the first half, but was bottled up in the second half, finishing with only 7 points in the final 24 minutes.
Dejounte Murray made his return from a one-game suspension, for making inappropriate contact against a game official. Murray stuffed the stat-sheet, much like he had all season, but fell short of his season/playoff average for points. Murray finished with 14 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds.
De’Andre Hunter followed up his 27-point performance from Game 5 with a solid 20-point effort and tough nosed defense. John Collins also played an important role in this one, especially down the stretch for the Hawks. He finished with 16 points and 4 rebounds in 29 minutes of action.
The Hawks will now head into the offseason with their new head coach, Quin Snyder, who will get a chance to tinker with the roster to his liking. Some players may have player their last game in a Hawks’ uniform. Whatever the case may be, Atlanta’s future is still looking bright and Hawks fans should find solace that the team can go toe-to-toe with the upper-echelon of the Eastern Conference.
Great season Hawks, looking forward to next year already…
