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June 24, 2021 | 1:41 am EDT Update
Hawks upset Bucks in Game 1 of Eastern finals
Atlanta defeated Milwaukee 116-113 on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Clint Capela’s putback after a Trae Young miss gave the Hawks a 112-111 lead with 29.8 seconds left in the game. Young’s four free throws in the final 17.3 second secured the victory. Atlanta erased a seven-point deficit in the final four minutes. As they proved against Philadelphia in the conference semifinals, the Hawks just keep playing regardless of score. “Well, again, we’ve been in this position many times,” Hawks interim coach Nate McMillan said. “Seven-point game is really a three-possession game. We felt that we know what we need to do. We need to get stops and we need to execute and score. They did another solid job of executing down the stretch, again, finding that matchup.
Young was 17-for-34 from the field even though he was just 4-of-13 on 3-pointers. “What I respect about Trae, he’s going to always stay aggressive,” McMillan said. “He continued to stay aggressive and take his shots, and tonight those shots were falling for him. I thought he did a good job of, again, reading the defense and getting the ball and putting the ball in the hands of guys who had their matchups.”
CBS Sports: Players 22 years old or younger to score 40+ points in a Conference Finals game: – LeBron James – Kobe Bryant – Kevin Durant – Amar’e Stoudemire – Trae Young. Good company to keep for the Atlanta Hawks superstar.
StatMuse: Most points in a Conference Finals game: 54 — Michael Jordan 50 — Dirk Nowitzki 49 — LeBron James 48 — LeBron James 48 — Dirk Nowitzki 48 — Trae Young Trae joins LeBron as the only 22-year-old on this list. pic.twitter.com/6MLQ2YEyyq
Tim Reynolds: 30 or more shots, in an East finals game, last 25 seasons: – Trae Young, 2021 – LeBron James, 2018 – LeBron James, 2015 – LeBron James, 2009 – LeBron James, 2007 – Antoine Walker, 2002 – Allen Iverson (four times), 2001 – Michael Jordan (three times), 1997
ESPN Stats & Info: Trae Young has his 3rd half this postseason with 25 points. That’s the most by any Hawks player over the last 25 postseason. The only other Hawks player to have 25 in a half of a postseason game over the last 25 seasons is Paul Millsap
He had 37 points through the first three quarters but it was one of his assists that really had fans in awe. OK, a number of his plays in this game have been jaw-dropping, but this one pass to Collins was just ridiculous. Young dove to the hoop and at first appeared to take a shot but it quickly became clear that it was actually a lob off the glass to John Collins, who threw down a powerful dunk.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was visibly frustrated with his teammates after the Bucks’ defense basically got embarrassed by Trae Young and his antics. The former DPOY had to wake his team up in a dead ball situation, suggesting his team should do a better job in closing out the Hawks’ shooters – especially the red-hot Young.
