In an utterly brilliant performance, the Atlanta Celtics raced out to an 18-2 lead and never looked back, using a running clock in the third quarter to put away Georgia Excel. The Celtics used a run-and-jump half-court trap, turning the tables on the Excel to set the tone and turn the game into a track meet. As a team the Celtics collected 14 steals led by point guard Bruce Thornton Jr. who collected four to go along with his 7 points, 3 rebounds and 9 assists. Thornton had an easy time picking up assists as the Celtics were red-hot from deep, nailing six threes, five in the first half. Simeon Cottle netted a game-high 15 points followed by Devin Farrell’s 13. Big men Jordan Brewer and Cameron Walker stifled any drives by Excel’s David Thomas. Combined they blocked four shots, three coming via Walker. Brewer finished with 14 points and 6 rebounds while Walker added 7 points and 7 rebounds. Thomas scored a team-high 11 points for Georgia Excel, tacking on 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Howard Fagan had 7 points and 4 rebounds in the loss.