Hawks clinch playoff berth
ATLANTA — Trae Young scored 33 points, and John Collins added 18 and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 24.4 seconds remaining Wednesday night, rallying the Atlanta Hawks to a 120-116 victory over the Washington Wizards to clinch the team’s first playoff berth since 2017. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points for Atlanta, which came into the night tied for fourth place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference and looking to solidify home-court advantage in the opening round. That’s still up in the air, but the Hawks are definitely headed to the playoffs after going through a painful, massive rebuilding job that still appeared to be a work in progress when the team fired coach Lloyd Pierce shortly before the All-Star break while mired at 14-20. Under interim coach Nate McMillan,
who should receive strong consideration in the coach of the year balloting, the Hawks have posted a 25-11 mark to stamp themselves as a dangerous opponent heading into the postseason. Russell Westbrook
scored 34 points and dished out 15 assists, but it wasn’t enough to prevent another excruciating loss for the Wizards, whose past five defeats have been by a total of 10 points. Two nights after breaking Oscar Roberson’s NBA record with his 182nd career triple-double, Westbrook came up a bit short of No. 183 as he was held to five rebounds. The Wizards were up 100-87 — matching their biggest lead of the night — when Davis Bertans knocked down a 3-pointer off a dish from Westbrook with just more than 10 minutes remaining. The visitors’ advantage didn’t hold up. After missing a couple of 3s that could’ve put them ahead, the Hawks finally knocked one down. Clint Capela got it started with a block on Westbrook, sending the Hawks on a fast break the other way. Young spotted Collins all alone in the corner for the 3 that put the Hawks on top at 117-116.
› FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas men’s basketball program hired former NBA coach and Indiana University star Keith Smart as an assistant coach Wednesday. Smart is best known for hitting the winning shot for Indiana in the 1987 national championship game against Syracuse. He played for Arkansas coach Eric Musselman with the CBA’s Rapid City Thrillers and Florida Beachdogs and was an assistant on Musselman’s staff with the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. In the NBA, Smart has been head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings and Golden State and an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Cavs, Kings and Warriors.
FOOTBALL
› Georgia Tech will allow full capacity at 55,000-seat Bobby Dodd Stadium and on-campus tailgating for the 2021 football season. The Atlantic Coast Conference school joins MLB’s Atlanta Braves, the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC of MLS in announcing the return to 100% capacity at their facilities in the state capital. Athletic director Todd Stanbury cited increased vaccinations, declining COVID-19 rates and updated guidance from health officials for the change. Georgia Tech allowed about 20% capacity and banned on-campus tailgating during the 2020 season. Stanbury said there’s confidence in being able to maintain a safe environment while bringing back the full college football game-day experience. The Yellow Jackets are set to play six games at Bobby Dodd Stadium this season, beginning with the Sept. 4 opener against Northern Illinois. They also will host North Carolina at nearby Mercedes-Benz Stadium as part of a new multiyear arrangement to play one game each season at the 75,000-seat home of the Falcons and United.
HOCKEY
› SEATTLE — Whether he develops into a star or never plays a game at the highest level, Luke Henman will forever have a place in the history of the Seattle Kraken. The 21-year-old center became the first player signed by the Kraken on Wednesday, when he inked a three-year entry-level contract with the expansion NHL club set to begin its first season this fall. Henman is currently with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the Québec Major Junior Hockey League. He will complete the season with the Armada, who are currently in the playoffs, before joining Seattle for its rookie training camp later this year. Henman was originally a fourth-round pick by Carolina in the 2018 NHL draft but was not offered an entry-level contract by the Hurricanes after the 2020 season and returned to Blainville-Boisbriand.