Things were looking up for the Boston Celtics prior to the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks. They were at TD Garden, didn't have to worry about Atlanta guard Dejounte Murray, and had a double-digit lead.

But, following a colossal late-game collapse, the Celtics blew Game 5 and now have to travel back to Atlanta for Game 6. While Boston still leads 3-2, it squandered a perfect opportunity to finish the Hawks off at home.

After the brutal 119-117 loss, there's plenty of blame to go around for the Celtics. So, here are the three Celtics most to blame for choking away Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks.

3. Jaylen Brown

Celtics star Jaylen Brown did his best to propel the C's to a win, but then the fourth quarter came around.

Although Brown scored 35 points on a good shooting night, he failed to do the easy things that would've sealed a win.

For example, he missed two critical free throws late in the game and went 1-for-5 from the charity stripe on the night. During the regular season he shot a decent 76.5% from the line, making his Game 5 misses especially frustrating. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time he struggled to convert from the line in the clutch this season:

In addition, Brown had two costly turnovers in the fourth quarter that gave Atlanta life. The Hawks refused to go away all night, and Boston's turnovers rewarded them for it.

2. Marcus Smart

Speaking of turnovers, Celtics point guard Marcus Smart had two of his own in the fourth quarter. Yet, perhaps his worst decision was being a bit too aggressive against Hawks star Trae Young.

With less than 20 seconds to go and the Celtics leading by one, Smart was defending Young with the game hanging in the balance. He made a play on the ball and knocked it loose, yet as he dove for it he was called for a foul with 15 seconds left:

Diving for a 50-50 ball is nothing new for Smart, but given the situation, it wasn't the best decision.

The Hawks were already in the bonus and were down just one point. Putting Young on the line, who has an excellent career average of 87.6%, was not worth it. The foul bailed him out and got Atlanta up one when Smart could've just let the ball roll since he had already disrupted the play.

The former Defensive Player of the Year tried to do too much, and it ended up costing the C's the game.

1. Jayson Tatum

A lot of fingers can be pointed as to who lost the game for Boston, but the player with the most blame on their shoulders is star Jayson Tatum.

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Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray appearing at an airport with bags packed and a plane ticket in hand

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The Celtics star went a rough 8-of-21 from the field and went an even worse 1-of-1o from deep. Plus, he scored just two points in the fourth quarter and received a brutal technical foul with a little more than a minute left in the game:

Perhaps the most disheartening part of his game was his shot selection, as Tatum settled for a lot of 3-pointers when he didn't have to.

In Game 4, Tatum also had a poor shooting night, yet he attacked the basket consistently and got to the line 12 times. In Game 5, he shot just two free throws and opted for difficult triples rather than simpler drives.

If the C's want a chance at redemption in Game 6, they'll need Tatum and Brown to stay aggressive on offense while taking high-quality shots. As a whole, Boston ill need to move the ball better and keep its composure throughout the game instead of easing up at random points.

Overall, the Hawks have life and a chance to tie the series at home. Boston will need to shake off the Game 5 collapse and refocus for its significant Thursday night showdown in the ATL.