Dennis Schröder says that Isaiah Thomas talked trash about his mom

This wasn’t just Al Horford appreciation night, there was also a basketball game to play. After being booed during introductions and receiving mixed boos and cheers during a tribute video, he proceeded to show the exact kind of all-around game Boston signed him for. “I’m not even focused on him anymore”.

The Hawks wore dark blue and lime green-trimmed uniforms for the first time since the early 2000s. Atlanta’s seven-game win streak came to an end against Al Horford and the Celtics, and more news about Paul Millsap’s trade status surfaced. Olynyk needs to build on his 26 point performance to try and get back to giving a consistent offensive impact off the bench. Point in case: On the final play of Friday’s win, Olynyk raced over to the corner and helped force a hard jumper from Paul Millsap that was off the mark as time expired. “He’s a big fourth-quarter player”. The Hawks rallied back to tie the game at 101, as they’re shooting picked up late. Millsap’s jumper at the buzzer was errant, giving Boston the win.

While the Celtics can not expect Olynyk to consistently be scoring like he did against the Hawks, they need him to continue to have an impact on the game. The Hawks trailed by 13 points at the start of the final quarter but closed that gap to just two points – at 94-92 – when Mike Dunleavy connected on a 3-point shot with just over two minutes remaining.

The Celtics, winners of six of seven games, made 17 three-pointers.

ABOUT THE CELTICS (24-15): Horford is averaging 15.3 points in his first season with Boston, along with career highs in assists (4.9), blocked shots (1.9) and free-throw percentage (84.5 percent). He played nine seasons with the Hawks after the team drafted him in the first round in 2007. Even with a victory in his return, Al Horford wasn’t expecting all of the boos he received, according to National Basketball Association, however, he seems to have made his peace with it, and moved on with his current team. The Hawks made the playoffs every season with Horford on the roster and went to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015.

“It’s disrespectful to my character because I don’t ever go there and my mom called me that night, too, and mad”, Thomas said.

That may have been a frustrating loss for the Hawks, but it’s not a bad one. Even if this team’s ceiling is mid-level playoff team, there are reasons to believe they won’t reach that mark.