Context is important, as the Boston Celtics were reminded in their 117-106 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday (Jan. 28) night. In this case, the context that Atlanta had been playing well before the return and then subsequent trade of star point guard Trae Young was probably more important than it might have seemed at tipoff.
It also might have been worth remembering that the Hawks were still likely irked from their 132-106 road drubbing of Atlanta on January 17, because the Hawks certainly hadn’t moved on from that loss. “I think in the shoot around, coach (Quin Snyder) started off the scout with reminding us of that game, and not losing the game, but how we lost the game, and having that sense of pride of the collective unit to come out tonight and put up a fight,” said Atlanta wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker postgame.
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This time around, likely recalling Sam Hauser’s seeming inability to miss from beyond the arc, taking away Boston’s 3-ball was a particular priority for the Hawks, per Alexander-Walker.
Jan 28, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) during the first half at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
“Honestly, we just guard the ball well,” he explained. “We did a better job of staying in front, staying out of rotation. The last few games, like they were getting clean looks off screens and we were a step behind, step slow.”
“We weren’t as physical – tonight was. It was a two way street, like just up in the physicality as a whole, and then allowing us to be more, I would say, allowing us to be more aggressive.”
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Nickeil Alexander-Walker on how Hawks were able to beat Celtics at home