RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) _ Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce scored 15 points apiece and Danny Fortson pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics over the Atlanta Hawks 104-79 Friday night.

Boston (1-1) had five players scoring in double figures, with Kenny Anderson getting 13 and Eric Williams and Walter McCarty netting 12 apiece.

Chris Crawford led Atlanta with 14 points, while Bimbo Coles added 10. Alan Henderson had 11 rebounds.

After trailing 54-43 at the half, Atlanta (0-3) cut the lead to 57-56 in the third period, but Boston's second unit closed the period with an 18-7 run to take a decisive 75-63 lead.

The Celtics then held the Hawks to just six points in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter while scoring 23 points.

Atlanta was hurt by the absences of Dikembe Mutombo, Jim Jackson and LaPhonso Ellis.

Despite outshooting the Celtics in the first quarter, the Hawks still trailed 23-18. Boston hit just 28 percent of its shots, but converted several second-chance opportunities.

Atlanta began the second quarter with a 16-9 run to take a brief 34-32 lead, but Boston responded with its own 22-6 run to grab a 54-40 advantage. A layup by Henderson and a free throw from Lorenzen Wright narrowed the gap to 54-43 at the half.