The Celtics took a 15-point lead in the second half to lose 117-116 to the Hawks on Tuesday night and win their first pool match in Group C of the Emirates NBA Cup. Celtics were 16.5 point favorites in the match.

Boston got off to a slow start to take control of the game in the second quarter, taking a double-digit lead at the half thanks to 20 points from Jaylen Brown and 14 points from Derrick White. The Hawks played the game without four rotation players, including All-Star guard Trae Young, which led to them starting two-way guard Keaton Wallace and playing at a disadvantage all night long.

The Celtics led by as many as 15 points in the second half, but the Hawks erased that lead by dominating the paint with a 68-32 margin and 18 second-chance points against Boston. Onyeka Okongwu hit a lead-off strikeout in the final minute while Jaylen Brown (team-high 37 points) missed a potential lead as time expired. Derrick White also added 31 points for the home team, while Dyson Daniels led five different Hawks by double digits with 28 points.

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Boston’s two-game winning streak ended, dropping them to 9-3 this season. Boston’s next NBA Cup game will be against the Cleveland Cavaliers next Tuesday night at TD Garden.

The Celtics will bounce back quickly on Wednesday night and face the Brooklyn Nets for the second time this month at the Barclays Center.

Here are four takeaways from the Celtics on Tuesday night:

Jaylen Brown finding his offensive style after hip issues: The All-Star struggled with his offensive rhythm in his return from a four-game absence in Milwaukee, scoring just 4/13 points in 37 minutes. Brown looked much more comfortable against the weak Hawks defense. He scored 16 points in the first quarter and went 7/12 in the first half to lead all scorers with 20 points. The small forward did most of his damage from inside the arc early but knocked down a pair of key 3s in the fourth quarter. Brown also thrived in the paint against Atlanta, getting to the free throw line 10 times and going 11-of-15 from beyond the arc. He had difficulty making free throws (6/10) late in the fourth quarter.

A surprise rotation setting from Joe Mazzulla: The Celtics have traditionally devoted downtime to their two stars. For most of this year, Tatum played the entire first quarter while Brown was rested for the final few minutes of the frame. But while Brown got into a great first quarter rhythm on Tuesday night, Mazzulla opted to play both of his stars for the entire first quarter; According to NBC statistics guru Dick Lipe, this was the first time in their careers that this happened during the regular season. This move worked out well, with Boston reserves benched by Derrick White and Jrue Holiday to start the second quarter. It will be intriguing to see if this is an anomaly or an option Mazzulla can tap into more regularly to help his stars get into an early-game rhythm.

The Celtics are dealing with a rare sloppiness that plagues them: The Celtics saw their 15-point second-half lead erased midway through the fourth quarter and had only themselves to blame for their struggles. The team had a season-high 20 turnovers; This was a very unusual number considering the highest number of turnovers this year was 15. Many of those miscues resulted from careless passes, and Boston’s stars were front and center in those woes, committing nine turnovers. merged. The Hawks scored 19 points off Boston turnovers, helping them stay in the game all night despite a tough three-point shooting night.

The Hawks may have already won the Dejounte Murray trade: It’s only been 10 games and Murray’s injury in the Pelicans may affect my decision a little, but it is impossible not to like the deal Atlanta made with Murray. Dyson Daniels already looks like a goaltender with his defensive ability at 21 despite having a reliable three-point shot. Add in two first-round picks and a serviceable backup to Larry Nance Jr., and it’s a great return to break up a backcourt duo like Murray and Trae Young that aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.