Celtics have clear positive takeaway from gruesome loss to the Hawks

Playing on the second half of a back-to-back and in their third game in four nights, the Boston Celtics didn't seem to have it. First and foremost, credit the victors. The Atlanta Hawks atoned for their 109-102 loss at TD Garden four days earlier.

At the root of that was a dominant third frame. The hosts outscored their visitors 36-22 in the 12 minutes after halftime. They built a 16-2 edge in points in the paint that period. Boston shot a frigid 25 percent from the field and went 3/9 [33.3 percent] from three-point range. Conversely, Atlanta made a staggering 68.4 percent of their field-goal attempts. They knocked down 4/6 shots from behind the arc [66.7 percent].

The Celtics' late rally, staging a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter, wasn't enough to salvage the game. However, in their 112-102 loss, the visitors received notable contributions from their centers.

Celtics' centers provide a bright spot in defeat

Luka Garza started in Neemias Queta's absence. The latter missed Monday's matchup due to a right thumb sprain. The former immediately capitalized on his opportunity.

Garza put eight points on the board on 3/3 shooting in his opening shift. He never looked back. The fifth-year center finished with 20 points on 8/9 shooting. He also grabbed nine rebounds.

His teammates rewarded him for running the floor. The six-foot-10 center bullied CJ McCollum. He knocked down a pair of open 3s. The first one came with the Hawks in drop coverage. The second one happened when Jaylen Brown drew two defenders in the low post before spraying the ball out to Garza.

Just as the fifth-year center's relentless motor was on display as he joined the Celtics in transition, as always, it was evident in his work on the offensive glass when he came from the dunker spot on the left side of the rim to clean up a Jaylen Brown missed three on the right side of the cylinder.

Beyond Boston's spot starter, Amari Williams snagged six rebounds in a 6:24 shift in the first frame. That was only two fewer than the hosts had in the opening quarter. There were rookie growing pains. Joe Mazzulla reprimanded him and Hugo Gonzalez for a lapse in judgement. The latter left Mouhamed Gueye while defending a pick-and-roll without anyone helping behind him. Dyson Daniels then delivered a pass to a cutting Gueye while Williams got caught flat-footed with his hands down. After Gueye's dunk, Mazzulla immediately called for a timeout.

However, Williams's impact on the glass in that stretch was notable. So was a sequence where he dropped down to swat a Jalen Johnson layup attempt. At the other end of the floor, the seven-foot rookie center sealed Daniels, giving Jaylen Brown a path to the rim. When Brown's layup didn't go down, the former Kentucky Wildcat was there to clean up the miss.

And then there's Charles Bassey, who's with Boston on his second straight 10-day deal. The fifth-year center got his most significant opportunity with the Celtics, entering the contest in the second quarter.

Bassey quickly made his presence felt, obliterating a Jonathan Kuminga dunk attempt. Derrick White buried a 3 at the other end. Atlanta's next time down the floor, Bassey followed up his first block by rejecting a Nickeil Alexander-Walker layup attempt.

It was clear that Boston missed Queta at the defensive end of the floor. He's the starter and a candidate for the Most Improved Player of the Year Award for a reason. However, it was encouraging to see those behind him on the depth chart step up.