Hawks stage 30-point comeback to stun Celtics
The Atlanta Hawks produced a comeback for the ages to overturn a 30-point deficit and defeat the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics 120-118 on Monday. Boston, who were confirmed as having clinched the Eastern Conference's top seed earlier on Monday, appeared to be cruising towards a resounding win after outscoring Atlanta 44-22 in the first quarter. The Celtics raced into a 30-point advantage midway through the second quarter before Atlanta woke up and began chipping into the Boston lead. The Hawks kept the rally going into the second half, narrowing the gap further with a 34-22 third quarter before harnessing that momentum into the fourth quarter to complete a dramatic win. De'Andre Hunter led the Hawks scoring with 24 points, including a decisive three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining that gave Atlanta a four-point cushion and effectively made the game safe. Hunter was backed with 22 points from Bogdan Bogdanovic while Dejounte Murray finished with 19 points, 15 assists and five rebounds. Elsewhere, Donte DiVincenzo put on a three-point shooting clinic to finish with a career-best 40 points as the New York Knicks kept rolling towards the postseason with a 124-99 blowout against the league-worst Detroit Pistons. DiVincenzo drained 11-of-20 from outside the arc, just three away from Klay Thompson's single-game record of 14 set in 2018. Jalen Brunson added 28 points as the Knicks improved to 43-28 to remain fourth in the East. In San Antonio, Phoenix Suns duo Kevin Durant and Devin Booker combined for 65 points but it was not enough to prevent the Spurs from snatching an upset 104-102 win. Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell each finished with 26 points as Western Conference basement club San Antonio claimed only their 16th win of the season. (AFP)