Final in overtime, Celtics 88-86 That’s the fourth straight win for the Celtics, who are serving notice that they’ll be a force in the playoffs. Beating the Heat and Hawks on back to back nights in different cities was an impressive feat for Boston, which also welcomed back Mickael Pietrus. The Celtics are now headed out on the road. Toronto is up first.

Overtime, Celtics 88-86, 10.1 seconds The officials are really hearing the boos here at the Garden, after they just called an offensive foul on Pierce that gave the ball back to the Hawks with 10 seconds left. They didn’t much like a couple of foul calls on Stiemsma either, including the one that ended his night. The call on Pierce was maybe the fourth straight that left the Celtics unhappy.


Overtime, Celtics 88-84, 3:07 Rondo now has 20 assists, as the Celtics go up by 4 on the Hawks. Boston got in late from Miami last night, so I can’t imagine overtime is making those tired legs feel any better. Still, the Celtics are ahead right now.

End of regulation, 84-84 We’re headed to overtime, as the Hawks couldn’t convert on their final possession with five seconds to go in the game.

Fourth quarter, Celtics 77-76, 5:01 Not only did those 2 points for Rondo give the Celtics the lead, but they also gave the PG a triple double. Rondo has 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 16 assists. It’s his sixth this year, and 19th in his career (including the playoffs).

Fourth quarter, Hawks 76-73, 5:52 The Hawks are on an 8-1 run, giving them a 5-point lead over the Celtics.

Fourth quarter, Celtics 72-68, 9:34 This is a game that certainly might have Pietrus doing the Dougie afterward, the dance he said he felt well enough to do before the game. Pietrus just hit a 3-pointer to give the Celtics a 4-point lead, and the arena went wild.

Fourth quarter, Celtics 69-68, 11:17 Pietrus gives the Celtics back the lead, earning him a monster cheer from the crowd. He has 5 points and three rebounds in his 16 minutes.


Third quarter, Hawks 68-67, 46.6 seconds So much for that 5-10 minute estimate for Pietrus. He’s now at more than 14 minutes in the game. Must be feeling good for Doc Rivers to up his minutes in this game. Rondo just converted two free throws to cut the lead to just 1. Rondo has 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 14 assists. Triple double watch is on.

Third quarter, Hawks 60-55, 5:50 The 14 turnovers sure aren’t helping the Celtics, who can’t quite seem to get the lead back against the Hawks. Of course, Atlanta isn’t opening up the game either. A Bass bucket just cut the deficit to 5, on Rondo’s 11th assist of the night.

Halftime, Hawks 48-40 Bass (13 points) and Garnett (12) are leading the Celtics against the Hawks, who have gotten big contributions from Teague (11) and Smith (12). The Celtics are shooting 47.4 percent to 46.7 for the Hawks. That includes a 1-for-10 mark from behind the arc for Atlanta. Rondo has seven assists at the half.

Second quarter, Hawks 43-40, 2:46 This is a tough back-to-back for the Celtics, having played in Miami Tuesday night, and going against a rested Hawks team. The Celtics are keeping up, though, trailing by 3 points with less than three minutes to play in the half.

End of the first quarter, Celtics 26-25 It’s shaping up as another good shooting night for Brandon Bass. He’s scored 10 points in the first quarter, on 5-of-6 shooting. He also has three rebounds so far. For the Hawks, Teague (9 points) and Josh Smith (10) have been carrying the scoring load.


First quarter, Hawks 23-18, 3:22 Mickael Pietrus just got a standing ovation from the crowd upon entering the game. It’s the first game action for the swingman since he suffered a Grade III concussion on March 23 against Philadelphia. Doc Rivers said Pietrus was likely to play between five and 10 minutes in the game.

First quarter, Hawks 13-6, 8:19 In a preview of what could be a first-round playoff matchup, the Hawks have come out scoring. Their lead got as big as 9 points, with the Celtics closing the gap a bit.