Celtics duo combines for 62 points to push Hawks to brink of elimination
The Boston Celtics fought off the Atlanta Hawks in a nasty back-and-forth Game 4 on Sunday, thanks to dynamic performances from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Tatum and Brown combined for 62 points in the victory. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Celtics are now 22-1 when Tatum and Brown score 30 or more points each in a game, the highest winning percentage among any duo in NBA history.
After the win, Tatum spoke about what drives him and Brown in hard-nosed games like Sundays.
"Making plays. We talk about it all the time," Tatum told Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston. "By any means necessary, figure out a way to win. If it's hitting shots, if it's screening if it's diving on the floor. It starts from the top, and everybody will follow. We all have to do the little things."
Tatum and Brown both finished with 31 points against the Hawks. For his part, Tatum shot 8-of-20 from the field and 4-of-13 from three while adding seven boards, four assists and three blocks.
Meanwhile, Brown finished 12-of-22 from the floor and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, with four rebounds and three assists.
Boston was seemingly cruising early on, taking a 12-point advantage into the halftime break. The Hawks stormed back, though, cutting the deficit to five in the fourth quarter before Brown and Tatum kept Atlanta at bay and helped the Celtics secure a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Celtics will look to close out the Hawks when they host Atlanta for Game 5 on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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