Hawks rally from 26 points to win
Young scores 36 points as Atlanta moves to within a win of the Eastern finals.
PHILADELPHIA — Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks pulled off a playoff comeback for the ages against the Philadelphia 76ers to move within a victory of the Eastern Conference finals.
Young was fouled on a three-pointer and hit all three free throws with 1:26 left to cap a 26-point comeback and send Atlanta on its way to a 109-106 victory over the 76ers on Wednesday night in Game 5.
The Hawks won in Philadelphia for the second time in the series and can advance to the conference final for the first time since 2015 with a victory Friday night in Atlanta.
Young scored 39 points and added to a postseason where he has become a breakout star.
“We keep fighting no matter what the score is. I’m proud of this team,” Young said.
“We have confidence in each other. We all love each other’s company and it shows on the court. We never stop believing until the final buzzer goes off.”
Joel Embiid scored 17 points in the first quarter and had the Sixers on their way toward a romp with a 26-point lead in the first half. They still led 87-69 at the end of the third before they collapsed.
Lou Williams, Danilo Gallinari and Young opened the
fourth on a huge run against the Sixers’ second unit and kept attacking once 76ers coach Doc Rivers was forced
to put the starters in and save the lead.
Gallinari hit a three that made it 87-76 and Embiid sprang from his cool down seat behind the basket and ran to the scorer’s table to check back in the game. He instantly scored and pushed the lead back to 13. Didn’t matter. The big shots kept coming for the Hawks — Williams buried a three that made it an 11-point game — and Young kept hitting his floaters and his fouls shots.
Young’s floater brought them within two and then he leaned into a three-pointer and was fouled by Matisse Thybulle.
Young, taunted all series by Sixers fans, calmly stepped to the line and buried all three shots.