Boston Celtics show dominant defense in series opener against Hawks, coach Mazzulla still hungry for improvement

The Boston Celtics put on a dominant display of defense to clinch a convincing 112-99 win against the Atlanta Hawks in the opening game of their Eastern Conference first-round series. The Celtics, seeded second, built a whopping 30-point halftime lead against the Hawks, who boasted the highest scoring average in the East with 118.4 points per game.

Boston's defense was the key factor in their victory, as they held Hawks' star Trae Young to just 16 points on 5-of-18 shooting, allowing only one successful three-pointer from his five attempts. Reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart led the defensive charge for the Celtics with 11 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and two blocks.

Despite their impressive win, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla believes there is still room for improvement in his team's performance. "Even though we were fortunate enough to win, you know we can be a lot better. We can do things better," Mazzulla said. "They got more offensive rebounds than us. We turned it over more. There's a lot of stuff there that we can just build on, so we're fortunate in that and we have to have the mindset that we can be better."

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Jayson Tatum had 25 points with 11 rebounds, and Derrick White added 24 points.

The Hawks had a 55-38 scoring advantage in the second half, and they will look to carry that momentum into Game 2 in Boston. The series will then move to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Sunday.

Hawks coach Quin Snyder believes that improving their offense will be the key to success for the team. "Some of that will be as simple as making an open shot and not having to defend in transition. And then there's other things. We've battled our spacing. And we've got to continue to really drill down on that and be unbelievably precise with where we are on the court."

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The Celtics will be looking to maintain their strong defensive performance and build on their Game 1 success when they face the Hawks again in Boston on Tuesday.

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