When the Boston Celtics visited the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 17, they steamrolled the hosts, 132-106, in a game that was over very early. The Celtics dropped 82 points in the first half on the Hawks, but in the second half, they kept their foot on the gas.
Sure, in this day and age in the NBA, teams can make a comeback from almost any deficit. Boston has been known to blow some very big leads over the last couple of seasons. On the road, it wouldn't have been surprising to see them do it again. As far as Atlanta is concerned, they needed just 11 days to get their revenge, and they did so in impressive fashion behind a former Virginia Tech standout.
Former Virginia Tech guard powers Hawks over Celtics in big revenge game
The two teams met at the TD Garden on Wednesday night again. A road game for the Hawks in a building that is tough for visiting teams was not a recipe for success. However, they made an early statement, punched Boston in the mouth, and got the last laugh in a 117-106 win. It was a game that was not as close as the final score indicates, thanks to former Hokie Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
He tied Jaylen Brown of the Celtics with a game-high 21 points, and Alexander-Walker connected on five of his 12 3-pointers. He played nearly 31 minutes as Atlanta jumped out to a 38-18 lead after the first quarter and never let the Celtics close within single digits late in the game. What was the motivation for Alexander-Walker and his teammates? In Boston's win earlier this month, Sam Hauser hit 10 3-pointers, and the Hawks remembered how the Celtics handled themselves in a blowout, almost showing up Atlanta.
“We (remember),” Alexander-Walker said. “And I think it wasn’t about like, necessarily trying to stop [Hauser]. I think today we also took that personal to a degree, like, how they were up, and it was like, they were having fun, laughing, and they almost felt like, like they didn’t respect us. And you know, as a competitor, you take that thing personal.”
No athlete likes getting blowout and they remember the next time they play that team. For one night, Alexander-Walker and the Hawks had fun at the Celtics' expense.