Young scores 48 to propel Hawks
Trae Young scored 48 points, Clint Capela converted a goahead putback with 29.8 seconds left and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 116113 on Wednesday night to open the Eastern Conference finals.
The Hawks improved to 62 in road playoff games this year and handed the Bucks their first home loss of the postseason.
“I felt we’ve built ourselves to be able to play on the road,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “I’ve told them that. They’re built for this.”
Game 2 is Friday night in Milwaukee.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for the Bucks. Jrue Holiday added 33 points and 10 assists.
Young was two points off his career high.
“We keep fighting,” Young said. “It’s been fun playing with this group. We just keep fighting to the end, no matter what the score is. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to keep fighting.”
John Collins added 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Hawks. Capela had 12 points and 19 rebounds.
Khris Middleton missed a potential tying 3pointer in the closing seconds. Although Middleton scored 15 points, he shot 6 of 23 and missed all nine of his 3point attempts.
“Offensively, it didn’t seem like we moved very well,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.
Celtics coach: The Boston Celtics have reportedly hired Brooklyn Nets assistant Ime Udoka to be their new coach.
Udoka, 43, played a total of 316 games over seven seasons with five NBA teams before retiring in 2012 and joining Gregg Popovich’s staff in San Antonio as an assistant coach.
He was with the Spurs for seven seasons, including in 201314, when they won the NBA title. Udoka joined the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 and was with the Nets last season.
Health status: Chris Paul is listed as probable to play for the Phoenix Suns in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. Paul missed the first two games while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols since June 16.
Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out for Thursday’s game in Los Angeles. He hasn’t played since June 14 because of a sprained right knee.