Hawks expect edge at home
John Collins already has seen what playoff success has done to raise the hometown excitement for the Hawks.
Collins is eager for the opportunity to build more enthusiasm now that the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the top-seeded 76ers has shifted to Atlanta.
With the series tied 1-1, Game 3 will be played Friday.
In Atlanta, the Hawks announced a sellout for Game 3 and said only a few seats remain for Monday’s Game 4.
The fifth-seeded Hawks have won 13 consecutive home games, the longest active streak in the NBA. The streak includes two home wins as the Hawks beat the Knicks in five games in the first round.
Collins said he found evidence of Atlanta’s playoff fever at his neighborhood gas station.
“I go into the same gas station I would go into every single time and the dude working the desk wouldn’t know me until we beat New York and now I come in there and his face is lit up, you know what I mean?” Collins said Thursday.
“To me it was a small example of how deep we’re touching the city . ... I’d like to see more of that.”
Collins, the power forward in his fourth season, and third-year point guard Trae Young are in the playoffs for the first time.
“I can’t speak for Trae but just watching him I can tell he just loves being in these type of moments,” Collins said. “He loves the big stage and thrives in it.”
Young has averaged 28.9 points in seven playoff games.
Paul puts it all together: Chris Paul had 17 points and 15 assists without a turnover, Devin Booker added 18 points and 10 boards and the Suns routed the Nuggets 123-98 on Wednesday night in Phoenix to take a 2-0 lead in the West semifinals.
Deandre Ayton had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Mikal Bridges added 16 points for the secondseeded Suns. Paul was particularly impressive and it appears his ailing right shoulder — which greatly limited his play against the Lakers in the first round — isn’t much of a problem anymore. He had 21 points and 11 assists in the Game 1.
“I feel good,” Paul said. “I feel really good.”
Nikola Jokic had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the third-seeded Nuggets, a day after getting the league’s MVP award. But the Nuggets couldn’t find anyone else to score consistently, leaving them reeling going back to Denver for Game 3 on Friday night.
“This was an embarrassing performance for myself all the way to the last player,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
The Suns had a 10-point halftime lead and Jae Crowder added a pair of 3s early in the third to make it 60-43. The Suns took an 86-67 advantage into the fourth. They led by 31 in the final quarter.
Paul pushed the sellout crowd into a frenzy in the fourth, throwing his 15th assist to Torrey Craig after criss-crossing around helpless Nuggets forward Paul Millsap. The 36-yearold guard then hit a pair of 3s and the celebration was on in the desert with the Suns rolling in their first playoff appearance in 11 seasons.