Sports | basketball Celtics Top Hawks, Lead Series 3-2 By Doug Sweeney Posted May 1, 2008 12:15 AM CDT Copied Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce, left, drives to the basket past Atlanta Hawks guard Josh Childress, right, during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA first-round playoff basketball series. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Takedowns and menacing gestures. Double technicals and flagrant fouls. And the Boston Celtics are heading to Atlanta to try to deliver the knockout punch. Paul Pierce scored a playoff-high 22 points and Ray Allen hit three 3-pointers in the middle of the third quarter Wednesday night to turn back the Hawks' last charge, leading Boston to a hard-fought 110-85 victory over Atlanta The win gives the Celtics a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Kevin Garnett scored 20 and Allen had 19 to put the Celtics one game away from advancing to the second round. Boston got a huge lift from its bench in the second quarter, when Sam Cassell scored nine points and Leon Powe had seven with five rebounds while holding Al Horford to a pair of baskets. Read These Next New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Man accused of killing his daughters might be dead. Iran's supreme leader makes first public comments since ceasefire. White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. Report an error