Watch Atlanta Hawks Vs. Boston Celtics Live Stream: Celtics Down 2-0 Must Win At Home
The Boston Celtics will need to defend their home court when they face the Atlanta Hawks down 0-2 in a game that will stream live Friday, the third game of what at least on paper appeared to be the most evenly-matched series of the NBA Playoffs’ first round.
In Game 1, the Celtics-Hawks series looked like it was all set to live up to the hype, with Boston recovering from a 17-point halftime deficit to outscore Atlanta by 16 in the second half — coming up short by just one point.
But also in that game, the Celtics lost veteran guard Avery Bradley to a right hamstring strain, an injury that is expected to keep Bradley sidelined for the duration of the series.
And as if that wasn’t bad enough for the hopes of the Eastern Conference fifth-seed Celtics, backup big man Kelly Oleynik was forced to miss Game Two with a right shoulder injury and, according to Boston Coach Brad Stevens, is considered “questionable at best” to return for Game 3 on Friday.
The absence of both Bradley and Oleynik means that two of Boston’s six double figure-averaging players from the regular season are now out.
Swingman Jae Crowder remains in the lineup despite a nagging ankle sprain that has him, by his own admission, playing at about 75 percent of his potential, and guard Isaiah Thomas — the leading Boston scorer in both the regular season and so far in the playoffs — is playing through a wrist injury.
“It’s all right. I continue to get treatment on it and work past it,” Thomas said of the injury. “It’s not 100, but it only hurts when I’m falling on it, and I try not to fall as much. It’ll be OK.”
Game 2 fell short of the thriller status attained by Game One. In fact, the Celtics set an ignominious NBA record, scoring only seven points in the first quarter – the lowest total to open an NBA playoff game since 1954, when the league first instituted the shot clock.
The Hawks cruised to a Game 2 win after that, finishing the game with an 89-72 victory.
Watch highlights of the Celtics-Hawks Game 2 in the video below.
To find out how to watch a live stream of the Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics Game 3, see the streaming links in the final paragraph of this article. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, 5 p.m. Pacific, on Friday April 22.
Going back to the regular season, the Hawks have now defeated the Celtics in five straight games.
“We’ve got to start off the game a lot better. I think if we do that, it will work out in our favor. We’ve dug ourselves huge holes in the last two games,” Thomas said on Thursday. “This group has always been counted out. We are always trying to prove people wrong.”
RELATED STORIES:
Boston Celtics’ Playoff Hopes On Life Support Pending Avery Bradley News
Boston Celtics Rumors: C’s Seek Star Player This Summer, Willing To Trade First Round Pick
Boston Celtics Rumors: Markieff Morris May Be Headed To The Celtics
NBA Rumors: Kevin Durant Could Sign With The Boston Celtics In The Offseason
NBA News: Steve Nash To Join Golden State Warriors In Player Development Role
To watch the Atlanta Hawks Vs. Boston Celtics NBA first-round playoff Game 2 stream live online, use the stream provided by WatchESPN at this link, or download the WatchESPN app to watch the game on mobile devices, as well as on set-top devices such as Roku and Apple TV. Fans who do not have credentials to log in to WatchESPN can watch the game via the Sling TV internet TV package at this link. The package, which includes a variety of channels, including ESPN and ESPN2, costs $20 per month. But Sling TV offers a seven-day free trial, so subscribers can choose whether or not to keep the service after watching the Atlanta Hawks Vs. Boston Celtics game stream live online.
[Featured Photo By Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images]
