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Celtics 110, Hawks 99

Celtics extend win streak to 15 games

Jaylen Brown (7) reached for a rebound with teammate Aron Baynes nearby in Saturday’s 110-99 victory. David Goldman/Associated Press

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ATLANTA — It seems the Celtics have relished adversity throughout this 15-game winning streak. They start slow, look uninterested and lethargic, and then suddenly storm back in the second half, relying upon Kyrie Irving to close out the win.

It’s been the same recipe for weeks now, so why would the Celtics deviate from their formula for success against the Hawks?

Against a downtrodden Atlanta club that has given them trouble in two meetings during the streak, the Celtics used a 14-point third quarter from rookie Jayson Tatum, more key baskets from Irving down the stretch, and key defensive plays from Marcus Smart to win again, 110-99, over the Hawks at Philips Arena on Saturday.

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It’s been officially a month since the Celtics last lost a game and they were able to respond from Thursday’s impressive 92-88 win over the Golden State Warriors despite their sluggish start against the Hawks.

For the second consecutive game, the Celtics trailed by at least 16 points in the first half before clawing back. While Irving led the Celtics with 30 points, it was the performance of Atlanta native Jaylen Brown that was more significant.

After the passing of his close friend, Trevin Steede, on Wednesday night and flying to Atlanta ahead of his teammates, Brown scored a career-high 27 points on 10-for-13 shooting. He drained 4 of 6 from 3-point range to go along with 4 rebounds.

Brown did not speak with the media after Saturday night’s victory, but his teammates spoke volumes about his fortitude through this trying time.

“He’s not alone,” Irving said of Brown. “That’s spirit in the truest form and he understands that. There’s no disconnect. The physical presence of his best friend was lost, but I know his energy still exists. He’s still playing with an unbelievable [vibe] and he may not be saying much, but he knows that we’re all here for him.

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“He’s perfecting his craft and he’s doing it at a very high level, the whole season. It’s a lot of strength when you have that belief internally.”

Brown scored 17 second-half points as the Celtics shot 51.1 percent and outscored the Hawks, 66-49. Irving, as usual, ended the game with 12 fourth-quarter points on 3-for-3 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, one from the corner for a 95-88 lead with 4:36 left. The Celtics sealed the game with a 14-5 run as Boston improved to 8-1 on the road and won for the second time in Atlanta in 12 days.

“I just thought our first group played way better in the second half,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “I thought our bench was great in the first half, kind of got us going, got us back into it. I actually thought we were defending the whole night. Once that second group really got going, that first group made it contagious.”

Marcus Morris helped the Celtics rally in the second period with 14 points while Smart, mired in a shooting slump, added 10, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Tatum looked frustrated after a scoreless first half, but he used his defense to get himself back into the game, offensively. He stripped Kent Bazemore after a defensive rebound and soared for a dunk with 8:48 left in the period to shrink the Hawks lead to 60-56.

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It was first of five Tatum field goals in the period as he tallied 14 points, and the Celtics took an 80-77 lead into the fourth. Three-point shooting saved Boston. The Celtics hit 13 of 26 through three quarters, including 3 of 8 in the fourth period (16 of 24 overall).

Smart had been mired in a shooting slump, entering the game having missed 15 of his last 16 field goal attempts, but began his night by sinking a technical free throw that appeared to get him going. Meanwhile, Morris joined Smart in a second-quarter surge as the two combined to score the Celtics’ first 18 points of the period.

Smart finished the half with 8 points on 2-for-4 shooting, both coming on 3-pointers, to help spark the the Celtics to a 17-6 run that sliced the deficit to 41-37. He also made a defensive impact with a late rebound and a steal.

As usual, the Celtics had trouble containing crafty Atlanta point guard Dennis Schroder (23 points), who helped the Hawks race to a 25-10 lead behind a stunning 16-0 run in the middle of the first period.

Schroder and Bazemore (19 points) took turns gashing the Celtics with jumpers as the Hawks hit 11 of 17 shots in the first quarter, including 9 of 11 from the foul line, to surge to a 35-20 lead.

Adding to the Celtics’ first-half woes were the 13 turnovers they committed, many of which were unforced. But Irving led Boston with 11 first-half points, including a pull-up 30-footer that wowed the less-than-sellout Philips Arena crowd.

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Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GwashburnGlobe.