Point guard Trae Young led the Atlanta Hakws 128-124 victory over the Philadelphia 7ers on Sunday with 35 points, who woke up too late at the start of this Eastern conference semifinal.
The Cameroonian Joel Embiid, who also shone with 39 points and 9 rebounds, and the Sixers took pride in coming back from a game that they lost by 26 points but the Hawks resisted in the final seconds.
“We waited too long, they hit us first,” acknowledged Australian Ben Simmons, who had 17 points and 10 assists. “We were not aggressive and physical enough.”
The Sixers had no response to Young’s talent and daring, who repeatedly frustrated his defenders and Wells Fargo Center fans with a recital of 35 points, 4 triples and 10 assists.
At 22, Young had already been the executioner of the New York Knicks in the first round (4-1) with an average of 29.2 points and 9.8 assists.
With his performance on Sunday, he became the second player in NBA history to score at least 30 points in his first four playoff games on the road. Tran only the mythical Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) has also been able to achieve this feat.
The point guard started the game like a rocket with 12 points and 2 triples in the first quarter, in which the Hawks took off with a 42-27 advantage.
Sixers coach experienced Doc Rivers couldn’t even take advantage of Young’s defensive shortcomings as the player he was scoring for, Danny Green, stayed at 4 points.
In the second quarter, the Hakws went on to add a 17-0 streak that seemed to get the game back on track ahead of time.
– Adjusted ending –
The only good news for Philadelphia is that Embiid, their mainstay and finalist for the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award, showed no signs of his meniscus problem that had him cut in the last game of the series against the Washington Wizards.
He “did more” than we expected, Rivers said. “I asked him several times during the game and he said he felt good.”
The Hawks had 74 points at halftime, their all-time playoff record, and were confident of a placid endgame when the Sixers hit the gas in the fourth quarter.
Ben Simmons, Seth Curry (21 points) and Tobias Harris (20) supported Embiid to get just three points down (118-115) at the start of the final minute.
The Hawks had been confident and added error after error in the final minutes, including several turnovers by Bogdan Bogdanovic (21 points and 5 triples).
The Serbian guard, however, showed signs of coolness to hit a triple and two decisive free throws with 8.9 seconds to go, ruining local hopes.
“Until the last five minutes it seemed that it was controlled, we have to close better,” said Hawks guard Kevin Huerter (15 points). “In some ways we were fortunate to have more than 20 points of advantage, but a victory is a victory.”
The Sixers, who ranked first in the East in the regular season, will try to even the series next Tuesday on their home court. (GG) (AFP)