April 28 (UPI) -- Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum scored 32 and 30 points, respectively, to lead the Boston Celtics to a playoff series-clinching win over the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta.
Tatum registered 14 rebounds and seven assists in the 128-120 Game 6 triumph Thursday at State Farm Arena. Brown buried six 3-pointers en route to his game-high point total.
The lead changed 22 times during the game.
"It felt like Atlanta had control of the game for the most part, but we were able to pull away at the end," Brown told reporters.
Hawks guard Trae Young scored 25 of his 30 points in the first half.
The No. 2 Celtics beat the No. 7 Hawks 4-2 in the best-of-seven-game series. They will meet the No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinals series Monday in Boston.
The Celtics scored seven unanswered as part of a 12-2 run to start. The Hawks roared back to take a 19-18 lead with 5:27 remaining in the quarter. The lead changed hands three more times to end the first. The Celtics held a 35-34 edge to start the second.
Young scored 18 points in the first 12 minutes for the Hawks.
Brown scored 13 in the second quarter, when the Celtics and Hawks totaled 33 points apiece. The Celtics led 68-67 at halftime.
The Hawks and Celtics continued to wrestle for the lead in the third quarter. The Hawks then ended the quarter with six unanswered points to bring a 100-98 lead into the fourth. Hawks forward DeAndre Hunter scored 13 in the third.
The lead changed hands six more times through the next six minutes. The Celtics then used an 11-0 run to snatch a 121-113 edge with 2:07 remaining and never looked back.
Tatum, Brown and center Al Horford each drained 3-pointers during that surge.
The Celtics-76ers series will tip off at 7:30 p.m. EDT Monday at TD Garden. Game 1 will air on TNT.
The winner of the series will face the No. 8 Miami Heat or No. 5 New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.
