BOSTON -- Atlanta's big men took over at the right time on Friday night -- with a little help from a guard.
"Paul was a headliner -- big fourth-quarter plays from him," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said after forward Paul Millsap scored 15 points and combined with center Al Horford for 23 points and 10 rebounds and guard Dennis Schroder added nine in the fourth to lead Atlanta from behind to a 109-101 victory over the Boston Celtics.
"To grind out a win on the road against a physical team -- a defensive team -- was good," Budenholzer said.
They came from six points down in the final 5:07 to pull out the win.
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"It's a very mature win for us," said forward Kent Bazemore, as the Hawks (16-12) recorded their second two-game winning streak since an 8-2 start and then all kinds of inconsistency. "Boston's always a tough place to win (Atlanta lost at TD Garden earlier this season). We weathered the storm of the night."
The Celtics (14-13) dropped their third in a row despite 29 points by guard Isaiah Thomas and a career-high 24 points and 10 rebounds by forward Jae Crowder before he fouled out with 49.1 seconds left. The home team led by six with 5:25 left but couldn't finish the job.
"They just executed on the defensive end," said Boston forward Jared Sullinger. "We had too many turnovers (21) as a team and we just got to do better with the ball."
Horford, who finished with nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter grabbed 10 rebounds, had two straight baskets and Millsap also scored in an 8-0 run that brought the Hawks back from the six-point deficit.
Millsap, quiet for the first three quarters despite coming in with 18.1-point scoring average, went on a to 15-point quarter and finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Schroder came off the bench to deliver 22 points and five assists. Bazemore had 15 points, guard Kyle Korver added 11 points and five rebounds and forward Theo Sefolosha came off the bench to contribute 11 points and eight boards.
"Credit them for making plays at the end," said Boston coach Brad Stevens.
Thomas, who had a four-point play to put his team ahead 79-77 early in the fourth, had six assists but was also guilty of five of Boston's season-high turnover total. Thomas was 14 of 15 from the foul line and is 31 of 32 over the last three games. He has scored 67 points in the last two.
"I don't think we're playing with the same type of swagger," he said. "We don't show any passion and excitement anymore [and] we got to get back to that."
The Celtics, who matched their longest losing streak of the season, have turned the ball over 39 times in the last two games after having just 15 turnovers in the previous two.
"We've got to handle the ball better, we've got to cut better, we've got to get better shots, play better together -- all that stuff," said Stevens. "We got exposed tonight again, for the third time this week."
Crowder, acquired in the Rajon Rondo deal a year ago Friday, was 8 of 13 from the floor. He was considered a throw-in at the time but has turned into a steal.
"It really is a special day for me," said Crowder. "I woke up this morning and said a prayer, thanking God to be in this situation because a year ago today I was a little lost in the league. I'm very thankful. The loss ruined it for me, but at the same time I'm just thankful for the opportunity."
Before the game, Stevens said, "We traded a very impactful player here for a lot of years. But I think that I feel good about, even after a couple of games lost in a row, when I'm not feeling as good about life, I feel really good about our progress that has been made regardless."
NOTES: Celtics G Marcus Smart, out since Nov. 20 with a lower leg injury, resumed basketball activities and could be closing in on a return. ... The Celtics and Hawks were ranked 2-3 in the NBA in steals (Houston 10.8, Boston 10.2). The Hawks were averaging 9.4 -- Atlanta had 11 and Boston five on Friday. ... The Hawks are at Orlando on Sunday while Boston hosts former Celtic Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. ... Atlanta G Jeff Teague had six assists and needs two more to pass the great Bob Pettit for sixth place on the franchise's all-time list. ... Atlanta G Kyle Korver's struggles from outside continued -- his 1 of 4 on 3-pointers Friday making him 5 of 20 over the last four games.
