The Hawks stunned the Boston Celtics in the first game of the Emirates NBA Cup. The Hawks would play without Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kobe Bufkin, De’Andre Hunter, and Vit Krejci. Trae Young was added to the injury report and was unavailable for this game.
After two scoreless possessions, Jalen Johnson knocked down a three-pointer to open up the game. The Celtics put together some ugly misses from deep early and the Hawks held a 11-8 lead before the first timeout. Daniels stepped up in Young’s absence, scoring seven points to go with two assists and three steals in the first quarter.