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Hayward at the point, Wanamaker with career night, as Celtics take down Hawks, 123-115

With Kemba Walker on the sidelines, it was Javonte Green that got the start last night against the Atlanta Hawks, but it was Brad Wanamaker that had a career night coming off the bench. In 27 minutes of action, Brad notched 16 points on 5-of-9 from the field, 2-of-3 on treys and a perfect 4-of-4 from the foul line. He added three rebounds, five assists and four steals, helping Boston to a 123-115 victory.

Brad Stevens felt it was time for Gordon Hayward to run the show, and he did just that - racking up a team-high six assists, along with 24 points and seven rebounds (per NBA's Paul Newberry):

Hayward started the game as the point guard. ''It really didn't feel that much different,'' he said. ''I had to remind myself to come back and get the ball.'' ...

Grant Williams did his best "Mini-Me" impression with a Marcus Smart-like stat line of 13 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks. GWill and Wanamaker combined for 51 minutes off the bench, in addition to 29 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Both players are making a case for more floor time as the season goes into its second half.



Without two of their main core (Kemba and Marcus) among the missing, the Celtics were a bit sloppy, throwing the ball away 15 times, but they came away with the win. What is noteworthy is that Brad Wanamaker has logged 53 minutes of floor time over the last two games, producing 31 points, eight assists and six steals. And as the above Philly tweet indicates, Brad was even "punking" Joel Embiid after he outran Joel for the slam. The Celtics have now won four in a row and sit in third place in the Eastern Conference, behind the Bucks and Raptors. Brad Stevens rotations, at mid-season, are rounding into shape.

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