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Johnson, Hawks send Celtics to ninth straight loss

Jan 25, 2007 - 4:23 AM BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Atlanta Hawks' Joe Johnson and Josh Smith made sure the Boston Celtics' miseries continued.

Johnson and Smith each scored 21 points to lead the Hawks to an 82-76 comeback victory over the Celtics.

Josh Childress scored 14 points for Atlanta, which overcame an 18-point first-quarter deficit to snap a three-game losing streak.

"We dug down deep in the second half," Smith said. "We got some stops and won the game."

"Games like this, you hate to let slip by," Boston's Gerald Green said. "We played excellent in the first half, but in the second half they came out with the energy we had in the first half, and ended up winning the game."

The Celtics shot a miserable 32 percent (25-of-79) in suffering their season-high ninth consecutive defeat and 15 of 17. Their 12 wins are the fewest in the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks trailed, 28-10, after the first period and closed within 15 at the half before outscoring the Celtics, 27-18, in the third quarter to pull within 62-56.

"In the second half, we continued not to make shots, and then they started making shots," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "It was frustrating to watch. You're going to have tough nights where you can't make open shots."

Atlanta held Boston scoreless for the first 5:10 of the fourth period and took a four-point lead. Johnson scored 10 points in the fourth period, including a jumper with 1:47 left for a 76-68 lead.

"They made great plays early," Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said. "Then in the third and fourth quarter, our defense really stiffened up long enough for us to find our offensive flow."

"We wanted to get to six or eight points down at the end of the third, and we got it down to six," Smith said. "The start of the fourth quarter was huge. We showed some real heart in coming back from a big deficit like that."

Delonte West scored 18 points and Green finished with 15 for Boston, but they combined to shoot just 9-of-30 from the floor.

Boston forward Al Jefferson went down with a sprained right ankle with 10 1/2 minutes left and did not return. Jefferson finished with 11 points.

Childress added 14 points and Zaza Pachulia 10 for the Hawks.