National Basketball Association

Hawks hold on for 102-101 win after another Celtics rally

Published Apr. 16, 2016 11:37 p.m. ET

foxsports

ATLANTA (AP) Jeff Teague stymied another big Boston comeback, taking matters into his own hands in the closing minutes to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 102-101 victory over the Celtics in Game 1 of the opening-round playoff series Saturday night.

Teague scored 23 points and doled out 12 assists, making sure Atlanta maintained the home-court edge after the gritty Celtics rallied from a 19-point deficit.

With the game tied at 88, Teague worked the pick-and-roll to set up a layup for Al Horford. The Celtics missed and the Hawks again got the ball to Teague, who found Paul Millsap alone under the basket for a dunk that pushed Atlanta to a 92-88 lead with 2:56 remaining.

The Celtics had a chance to tie in the final minute, but Evan Turner missed an open 3-pointer.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night in Atlanta.