The Hawks avoided disaster in the fourth quarter and escaped with a 128-124 Game 1 win over the 76ers Sunday in Philadelphia. They now have a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Game 2 will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Below are some takeaways from the win:
1. Trae Young continues to impress in the playoffs, becoming the first player in Atlanta Hawks history to tally 35 points and 10 assists in a playoff game. Including the Hawks’ 4-1 first-round series win over the Knicks, Young is now averaging 30.2 points and 9.8 assists in his first postseason run. He had four turnovers, including three in the fourth quarter, which is something the Hawks will look to limit moving forward (they had 17 turnovers to the 76ers’ 19).
“Late in the game, I take a lot of responsibility for the turnovers, through kind of managing the game,” Young said. “I can do it a little bit better. Best thing that happened is we won, and a lot of things we can get better at. So I’m not mad about that.”
2. Bogdan Bogdanovic (21 points, five assists, four rebounds) and John Collins (21 points, four rebounds, two steals, two assists) had a few crucial plays to help the Hawks eke out a close win. Despite leading by as much as 26 in the first half, as the game went on, mistakes started to add up for the Hawks as the 76ers settled down. After losing the third quarter, 29-25, the Hawks took a 16-point lead into the fourth, but Philly kept chipping away at it. With the lead down to 3, Bogdanovic hit a clutch 3-pointer and shushed the crowd afterward, and Collins slammed an alley-oop from Young to make it 125-118 with 16.5 seconds to play. Collins went 3-3 from the line in the final 30 seconds, and Bogdanovic recovered from a turnover to make two free throws and close it out. A win’s a win, but the Hawks were outscored in the fourth quarter, 41-29.
“We know that we didn’t finish well,” interim coach Nate McMillan said. “I liked our start. I thought we came in with a lot of composure. We came in believing in ourselves and we knew we had to get off to a good start and we did that… Second quarter, we started to turn the ball over, which allowed them to get out into transition, and they make you pay when you turn the ball over.”
3. In a lopsided first half, the Hawks set a franchise playoff record in a half for points (74) and 3-pointers made (13), after averaging 12.4 3′s per game in the regular season (No. 17 in the league). They finished with 20 3′s, which is another playoff record.
4. Although 76ers center Joel Embiid has been day-to-day with a meniscus tear, he was available to play and had a game-high 39 points, to go with nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and four turnovers. Embiid was a plus-13 and a big reason why Philly ended up with 58 points in the paint, to the Hawks’ 40.
5. De’Andre Hunter, who has struggled with right knee issues and inflammation after his initial injury in January, was unavailable to play due to right knee soreness. So, the Hawks were missing one of their best defenders, a particularly tough situation when facing a 76ers team packed with size, shooting and length. McMillan said he’ll check with the training staff Monday for an update on Hunter. This would be a tough series for the Hawks to go without him, as they could use his scoring, as well.
Stat of the game
95.2% (what the Hawks shot from the line, going 20-21 to the 76ers’ 68.6%, or 24-35)
Star of the game
Young (continues to pave the way for the Hawks on this playoff run)
Quotable
“Thank God we were up 20.” (Kevin Huerter, who had 15 points off the bench, on the Hawks holding on for the win despite a poor showing in the final five minutes)
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