NBA Playoffs : Celtics Take Best Shot, but Hawks Even Series

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks took some of Boston’s best shots and still managed to tie the Celtics up.

Dominique Wilkins scored 40 points and Doc Rivers had 22 assists Monday night at Atlanta as the Hawks defeated the Celtics, 118-109, to even their National Basketball Assn. Eastern Conference playoff series at two games apiece.

“We’re even now, that’s what’s important,” Wilkins said. “We felt a lot looser. The game (Sunday) relaxed us.”

The Celtics, who hit only 38.6% of their field-goal attempts in a Sunday defeat, shot 70% from the field in the first quarter and opened a 10-point lead.

Then the Hawks outscored the Celtics, 60-31, over a 21-minute span of the first and second half, turning the early 10-point deficit into an 88-69 advantage with 4:49 left in the third quarter.

Boston rallied after that, closing the gap to 101-99 with 7:31 left, before an 8-0 run by Atlanta put the Hawks back in control.

“When they cut it to 2, we didn’t want to panic or get nervous,” Wilkins said. “When you panic, you just make more mistakes.”

Rivers had 15 of his 22 assists in the first half, tying Magic Johnson’s mark for a half established on May 3, 1985 at Portland. Johnson set the single-game playoff mark of 24 in 1984 against Phoenix.

“I don’t mind that at all, tying Magic Johnson,” Rivers said.

Despite the victory, the Hawks still must find a way to win at Boston Garden, where they have lost 13 straight since 1985. Game 5 is scheduled for Boston on Wednesday night, with Game 6 at Atlanta on Friday night and Game 7, if necessary, Sunday at Boston.

“What we’ve got to remember is that we won two games in a row,” Rivers said. “We’ve got to go to the (Boston) Garden and just play.”

If Atlanta wins, it will become only the fifth team in NBA playoff history to win a best-of-seven series after trailing, 2-0. The Celtics have never lost a series after winning the first two games.

“We’ve got to start playing some ball,” Boston’s Larry Bird said. “We wanted to put some pressure on them.

“At home, we’re more active, you just get a little higher and you feel better.”

Bird led Boston with 30 points, while Kevin McHale had 22 and Danny Ainge scored 18.