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Hawks rally past Celtics, strengthen playoff positioning

Apr 10, 2014 - 3:13 AM Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Korver connected on a pair of 3- pointers during a late Atlanta surge, as the Hawks strengthened their hold on a playoff spot with a 105-97 triumph over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday at Phillips Arena.

Boston led 89-80 with 5:44 to play before Elton Brand threw down a dunk to spark a 10-0 Atlanta run, which Korver capped with a triple to give the Hawks a 90-89 edge.

Jared Sullinger responded with a trey at the other end to put Boston back in front, but Korver countered with another 3-pointer, igniting a 9-0 burst that provided the home team with a 99-92 lead with 1:13 remaining.

Atlanta sealed the outcome by going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line down the stretch, as the Hawks extended their lead to two games over the idle New York Knicks for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

"The ball movement and the pace were the difference (down the stretch)," Atlanta head coach Mike Budenholzer said. "We found the right guy at the right time and we were able to execute."

Jeff Teague totaled 19 points and eight assists, while Paul Millsap and Brand each donated a double-double. Millsap supplied 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Brand netted 13 points and grabbed 13 boards in Atlanta's third win in four tries.

Avery Bradley returned from a three-game absence and paced Boston with 24 points, while Rajon Rondo registered 19 points and 12 assists for the Celtics, who have lost a team-record 13 straight road games, matching the mark set in the 1979 campaign.

"It's pretty much the same old story the last couple games," Rondo said of his team's struggles. "When teams make a comeback on us, they turn up the pressure and we seem to fold."

Boston trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half and didn't take its first lead until five minutes prior to the end of the third quarter, when Rondo ripped off four points in 20 seconds for a 67-66 Celtics lead.

Brandon Bass buried back-to-back buckets to extend Boston's edge, but a DeMarre Carroll layup followed by two free throws from Louis Williams found the Hawks back within one.

However, Jeff Green drained a triple on Boston's next possession and then beat the buzzer with another trey to send the Celtics into the fourth with a 77-70 spread.

A Korver 3-pointer pulled Atlanta within two just under three minutes into the fourth, but Boston answered with a 10-3 swing to build a nine-point lead with just under six minutes left.

Early on, Atlanta shot 14-of-18 from the field in the first quarter to create a 32-23 cushion, but Boston battled back in the second and cut the margin to five at halftime.

Game Notes

The Hawks shot 40-of-76 from the field overall and scored 25 points off 16 Boston turnovers ... Boston's last road win came on Feb. 10 at Milwaukee ... The Celtics have last nine straight overall ... Prior to the game, the Hawks awarded Korver with the Jason Collier Memorial Trophy for his dedication to community service ... Atlanta's Pero Antic missed the game with a sore right ankle ... Sullinger supplied 15 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.