76ers, Wizards, Hawks advance
NEW YORK — Trae Young put the finishing touches on his impressive first playoff series with 36 points and nine assists, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the New York Knicks 103-89 on Wednesday night in Game 5.
Clint Capela backed up his confident words from a day earlier with 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Hawks, who will play the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in their first trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals since 2016. That series begins Sunday.
Young never looked like a playoff rookie, hitting the winning shot with 0.9 seconds left in the opener and scoring at least 20 points in every game. He made a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left for a 15-point lead, then stood at midcourt and bowed to the crowd that jeered him all series.
The profane chants toward the point guard were less frequent than in Games 1 or 2. Young was never rattled by the fans, one of whom was banned after spitting on Young in Game 2. Now he has silenced them for the summer.
76ERS 129, WIZARDS 112
In Philadelphia, Seth Curry scored a playoff career-high 30 points and the 76ers beat Washington to end the series in five games, overcoming star center Joel Embiid’s absence because of a knee injury.
Tobias Harris added 28 points and teamed with Curry and Ben Simmons to carry the offensive load with Embiid out. Simmons had 19 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to keep the top-seeded 76ers in the hunt for their first championship since 1983.
Embiid is day to day with a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee and he was reduced to Philadelphia’s biggest cheerleader as the Sixers put the misery of last season’s first-round sweep behind them.
JAZZ 126, GRIZZLIES 110
In Salt Lake City, Donovan Mitchell scored 26 of his 30 points in the first half and Utah advanced to the second round, beating Memphis in Game 5.
Mitchell also had 10 assists and six rebounds in 29 minutes, getting a little rest before facing the winner of the Los Angeles Clippers-Dallas Mavericks matchup.
Jordan Clarkson scored 24 points, Rudy Gobert had 23 points and 15 rebounds and Bojan Bogdanovic added 17 points to help power the top-seeded Jazz to their fourth straight victory.
Ja Morant led Memphis with 27 points and 11 assists. Dillon Brooks also had 27 points, and Jonas Valanciunas added 18.
MAVERICKS 105, CLIPPERS 100
In Los Angeles, Luka Doncic scored 42 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. hit two free throws with eight seconds left, and Dallas edged the Clippers to take a 3-2 lead in the first-round playoff series.
It’s the third playoff series in NBA history — and first since 1995 — in which the road team won the first five games, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The Mavs can close out their first series victory since winning the 2011 NBA championship with a win in Game 6 at home Friday in front of a full house.