Celtics Vs. Hawks Final Score: Celtics Are Defeated As Hawks Win 97-92

The Boston Celtics managed to pull within one point at two occasions in the fourth quarter, but both times the Atlanta Hawks were able to recover both times and the Celtics never managed to claim the lead. They trailed by four entering the final minute, and would end the night down by five.

The Knicks shot under 50% on the evening, with the Hawks not much better at just over 51%. That was enough, though, as Joe Johnson worked to keep his team in control the whole way, scoring 30 points in 30:41. Bradley Avery had a strong night in spite of the loss, totaling 28 points in just under 37 minutes played. Atlanta improves to 38-25 and has a three game win streak, while the Celtics drop to 37-27. If these two teams meet in the playoffs it's likely to be a different game, as Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo all sat the game out.

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Celtics Vs. Hawks Score Update: Hawks Lead Celtics 58-49 At Halftime

The Celtics are resting their starters tonight, and the backups are putting together a demonstrating of their merit, trailing the Hawks by nine points at the half. Atlanta is shooting more than 60% from the floor, with Joe Johnson leading things. Johnson has 23 points in 16 minutes, including shooting three of four on his three pointers. Avery Bradley is doing his best for the Celtics, scoring 17 points in the first half.

Atlanta lost their last two games against the Celtics, and they were looking to show their strength tonight. They're doing just that, really showing the difference in free throws by shooting over .750 to Boston's .250. These two teams could easily face off in the playoffs, so Boston's emphasis on resting players means that they're likely to get a better scouting report out of the game than Atlanta. Back-ups or not, Doc Rivers expects a lot and has not been happy with his team's performance in the first half, so stick to this storystream to see if they turn it around in the second half.

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Kevin Garnett And Paul Pierce Out For Friday's Game Vs. Hawks

According to Kurt Helin of Pro Baksetball Talk, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will sit out the Celtics game versus the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.

But both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are going to sit out Friday night's game for rest, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Coach Doc Rivers left himself some wiggle room by saying he would "probably" rest the All-Star duo, but unless you plan to rest them you don't put it out there.

Ray Allen and Mikel Pietrus will also sit with injuries, so the Celtics will be a pretty depleted bunch on the road. With home court advantage in the first round on the line, Doc Rivers seems to be placing more emphasis on rest than home court. If the Celtics lose on Friday, they'll likely play the Hawks in the first round, with games one and two (and potentially seven) in Atlanta.

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Celtics Schedule 2012: Cs Face Hawks In Playoff Preview

The Boston Celtics only have three games remaining in the regular season, which includes a huge match-up with the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. The Cs and Hawks are currently separated by half a game as the fourth and fifth seeds in the Eastern Conference.

With Dwight Howard out for the year, it's increasingly likely that the Hawks and Celtics will play in the first round of the Playoffs and whoever has the better record will own home court advantage. Because the Celtics have already won two of the three total meetings with the Hawks this season, they own the tiebreaker. However; a loss in Atlanta on Friday would drop the Cs two games – in the loss column – behind the Hawks, virtually eliminating them from home court in the first round.

Following the Hawks game, the Cs finish with two games at home, against the Heat and Bucks.

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Celtics Vs. Hawks: Resting C's Face Atlanta As Season Winds Down

Paul Pierce and the resting Boston Celtics face the Atlanta Hawks in their third to last game of the regular season at 7 p.m. EST on Friday (TV/Radio: ESPN/WEEI). Boston will be without Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Mickael Pietrus.