BOSTON – What looked like an easy Saturday for the Boston Celtics turned into a fight to the finish.
It’s something they’ve got to clean up heading into the postseason.
Kyrie Irving just missed his second straight triple-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, and Jaylen Brown scored 23 points with a key 3-pointer for Boston, but the Celtics had to hold off the Atlanta Hawks, winning 129-120 after blowing a 25-point second-half lead.
“To be mature about having the lead, you’ve got to keep the pressure on them and keep playing smart basketball on both ends of the floor,” Irving said. “We didn’t do that.”
Marcus Morris had 19 points and Jayson Tatum scored 18 for Boston (43-27), which has won six of its past eight games.