Okongwu game winner lifts Hawks over Boston Celtics 117-116

The Hawks stunned the Boston Celtics in the first game of the Emirates NBA Cup. The Hawks would play without Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kobe Bufkin, De’Andre Hunter, and Vit Krejci. Trae Young was added to the injury report and was unavailable for this game.

After two scoreless possessions, Jalen Johnson knocked down a three-pointer to open up the game. The Celtics put together some ugly misses from deep early and the Hawks held a 11-8 lead before the first timeout. Daniels stepped up in Young’s absence, scoring seven points to go with two assists and three steals in the first quarter.

The second quarter continued to run even. The Celtics made their way to a 51-42 lead before Quin Snyder used a timeout late to rally the troops. At a 63-54 deficit, Jalen Johnson fouled Jaylen Brown in the final seconds to send him to the free throw line. The half ended 65-54 in the Celtics’ favor, with Johnson and Capela in double figure scoring.

The Celtics extended the lead to 13 before the first timeout of the second half. Later trialing just six points after Larry Nancy Jr. hit his fourth three-pointer, Johnson notched his fourth foul of the game. The Hawks entered the fourth quarter down just seven points.

An 11-6 run to start the fourth quarter brought the Hawks within two points with 7:49 remaining In the game. Jalen Johnson tied it up right after.

The teams traded back and forth, with Dyson Daniels coming up big in multiple moments. He had 24 points, seven assists, and six steals after this three-pointer.

The Celtics led by three points with under a minute left thanks to back to back three-pointers, but the Hawks refused to go away.

Trailing 116-115, the Hawks had possession and a chance to win this game with 12.7 seconds left. Daniels missed a floater, but Onyeka Okongwu was there to put it back in and take a one point lead. They just needed one stop as the Celtics had the ball and six seconds to score.

The Hawks forced a turnover on the inbounds, and then turned it over on the inbounds themselves. Jaylen Brown missed the potential game winner, and the Hawks pulled of a win. Dyson Daniels had a career night, and Jalen Johnson notched a triple double.