Celtics rout Hawks for eighth straight victory Bill Fralic, star lineman for Pitt and Falcons, dies at 56
Boston — Kyrie Irving scored 24 points in three quarters and the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 129-108 on Friday night for their eighth straight victory.
Irving also had five assists, five rebounds and four steals. He scored 12 points in the first quarter and helped Boston race to a 23-5 lead. The Celtics topped 100 points with 2 minutes left in the third quarter.
Jayson Tatum had 22 points for Boston, Marcus Morris added 20, Gordon Hayward had 19 points and five assists, Daniel Theis scored 18 points and rookie Robert Williams III blocked five shots.
Kevin Huerter led Atlanta with 19 points, and John Collins had 11 points and 14 rebounds. The Hawks, losers of six of seven, had nine of their 24 turnovers in the first quarter.
Atlanta regrouped in the second quarter and pulled to 49-45, but Boston pushed the lead back up to 11 at halftime and continued pulling away in the second half with an opening 13-2 run.
Tatum's three-point play with 2:04 left in the third pushed the Celtics over 100 points at 101-79.
A technical on Bazemore after the call led to another free throw, followed by another Ton Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce 5 seconds later. Boston led 108-82 after three and let its reserves take over in the fourth quarter.
Tip-ins
The Celtics capitalized on nine turnovers by Atlanta in the first quarter and led 42-19 after one period. Boston outrebounded Atlanta 13-6 in the first and made 16 of 22 shots, going 6 for 8 from 3-point range . ... Hayward and Jaylen Brown returned after missing Wednesday's game with illnesses . ... Al Horford missed his fourth straight game with an injured left knee.
Pittsburgh — Bill Fralic, the burly, bruising and athletic offensive lineman who starred for the Atlanta Falcons and was a three-time All-American at Pittsburgh, has died. He was 56.
He had cancer and died Thursday at his home in suburban Atlanta, the university said.
Fralic was the first offensive lineman to finish in the top 10 in Heisman Trophy balloting — finishing eighth in 1983 and sixth in 1984. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998. The school retired his No. 79 at halftime of his final home game in 1984.
Pitt made Fralic part of its inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017, a class that included former teammate and Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.
“Bill Fralic is the best,” Joe Moore, who worked as Pitt's offensive line coach during Fralic's career, once said. “If you can find somebody better, bring him to me. I've been privileged to coach some good ones here, but none better than Bill Fralic. Those kind only pass through once.”
Atlanta selected Fralic with the second overall pick in the 1985 draft. He spent nine seasons in the league, including eight as one of the few bright spots during a difficult period for the Falcons. He was named to the Pro Bowl four times and earned All-Pro honors in 1986 and 1987. The NFL placed him on its All-Decade Team for the 1980s even though Atlanta struggled during much of his career. The Falcons went 27-67-1 during Fralic's first six seasons before finally reaching the playoffs in 1991.