He got it back on Tuesday night, going 5-7 from deep and finishing with 17 points.
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The Atlanta Hawks lead the Boston Celtics 2-0 after turning a blistering start into an 89-72 win.
That’s when Thomas came back again to seal the game and play the hero in front of the home crowd.
Al Horford and Kyle Korver led Atlanta with 17 points apiece, but the game was essentially decided in the first 12 minutes.
The Celtics were without their best two-way player, Avery Bradley, who injured his right hamstring in Game 1 and is expected to miss the rest of the series.
Marcus Smart and Jared Sullinger will start the game on the bench while Evan Turner and Jonas Jerebko get the start. The second-year guard didn’t score until the fourth quarter, and he finished with three points on 1-for-11 shooting.
Boston point guard Isaiah Thomas, who scored 27 points in Game 1, finished with only 16, half of those points coming in the fourth quarter after the game was out of reach.
On the season, the Celtics average 105.7 points, 44.9 rebounds and 24.2 assists per game.
Atlanta jumped out to a 24-3 lead thanks to four Korver 3-pointers in the first seven minutes.
Boston’s seven first-quarter points was the lowest tally in the first stanza of a playoff game since the league went to a shot clock in 1954.
“Added Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas: “[Injuries are] frustrating, but at the end of the day, it’s not an excuse. “They’re going to come out and give us their best shot, and we know that we have to be ready for that”.
Atlanta cooled off in an ugly second quarter, allowing Boston to chip away at the lead.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 10 points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes.
(AP) – Though short-handed and facing a team that’s playing record-setting defense, the Boston Celtics are determined to avoid yet another early deficit. And to run the Celtics even more out of Atlanta’s Phillips Arena, the Hawks also set a playoff franchise record with 15 blocks against the C’s.
Other than Atlanta’s sizzling start, the game was sloppy, bordering on hard to watch at times.
They are now in the same company as these teams who scored the lowest in a first quarter.
The Hawks made nine of their first 13 shots, knocking down six from outside the 3-point stripe.
Boston made just 3 of 23 shots from the field in the first period, missing all six attempts beyond the three-point arc.
The Hawks look too good for the Celtics. Now they will have the chance to take a truly commanding lead with a road win in Game 3.
“We’ve got to beat their bigs down the floor”, Stevens said.
We have guarded as well as I could have hoped in the first two games.
Budenholzer said Schroder’s ankle did not have any swelling after the plane ride to Boston.
Atlanta Hawks Al Horford high fives fans as he leaves the court after an NBA playoff basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Tuesday, April 19, 2016, in Atlanta. 16 and 28, respectively, played only sparingly this season due to Boston’s well-stocked backcourt.
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He will have an MRI exam Wednesday in Boston, coach Brad Stevens said.
