Ray Piedmont: Monday Night, Both Answers

Two games. Two questions left over from the weekend. Monday night in Atlanta answered both of them.

What you need to know:

Hawks 112, Celtics 102. Three days after losing 109-102 in Boston, the Hawks took it back at State Farm Arena. The game was tied 54-54 at halftime. Then the third quarter happened: Atlanta outscored Boston 36-22 and the rest was maintenance. Jalen Johnson had 20 and 12. Onyeka Okongwu matched him with 20 and 10. Dyson Daniels added 18. Jaylen Brown shot 9-of-29 for 29 points — volume without efficiency. That is 13 straight home wins for the Hawks. They are 43-33, sixth in the East, and the season series with Boston is 2-2. Simone has the full read on what this means for the building's energy heading into the final stretch.

Braves 4, Athletics 0. Bryce Elder threw six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and one walk. After Grant Holmes gave up three earned runs in five innings yesterday, Elder gave the rotation depth question a cleaner answer. Mauricio Dubon drove in three runs. Olson doubled in Acuna in the first. The Braves scored three in the opening frame and never looked back. They are 3-1. The rotation chart now reads: Sale dominant, Lopez strong, Elder clean, Holmes uncertain. Ellis has the numbers and the context.

The thread: Both teams came home with something to prove after a weekend that raised more questions than it answered. Both delivered. The Hawks proved the Boston loss was a road problem, not an identity crisis. The Braves proved the rotation has a provisional third arm behind Sale and Lopez. Whether those answers hold against better opponents and in less friendly buildings is the next question — and it is coming for both of them.

One more thing. The Falcons are still working hallways at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix. Atlanta United does not play until April 4. For one Monday night, this was a two-sport city that got exactly what it needed: answers, delivered at home, in front of its own people.