Rob Issa, FISM News
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Trae Young kept the Atlanta Hawks alive in the playoffs with one clutch shot.
The star guard nailed a long 3-pointer from way beyond the top of the circle with 2.8 seconds remaining to give the Hawks a 119-117 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
TRAE YOUNG FROM THE LOGO. HAWKS TAKE LEAD 😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/04t1qhiImy
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 26, 2023
While Phoenix and Denver finished off their opponents Tuesday night, the Celtics now have to head back to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday night with a 3-2 series lead.
Young is the reason the Hawks avoided elimination.
“I just had to trust in what I’ve done my whole life and shoot it with confidence,” Young said of his go-ahead 3.
Young scored 16 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Hawks past Boston. The Celtics took a 14-point lead into the final quarter.
John Collins added 22 points for Atlanta and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 18. The Hawks played without Dejounte Murray, who was suspended for one game after bumping official Gediminas Petraitis following Game 4.
“I know what time it is. It’s Ice Trae time. He’s clutch. He wants to be in that moment. He wants the big shot,” Collins said of Young. “It’s what he does.”
Jaylen Brown scored 35 points and Jayson Tatum had 19 for the Celtics, who would face the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round with one more win in this series.
“We had some boneheaded plays, some fouls. Gave them some opportunities to get going,” Brown said. “We just gotta finish the game.”
BOOKER AND SUNS SEND CLIPPERS HOME
In Phoenix, Devin Booker scored 25 of his 47 points in a sensational third quarter and the Suns eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers with a 136-130 win in Game 5.
Kevin Durant added 31 points and Deandre Ayton had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Suns into the second round in the Western Conference. They’ll face the top-seeded Nuggets.
“It was spiritual,” Durant said of watching Booker’s third quarter. “I don’t scream too much in games as I get older, but when he hit that 3 at the top of the key, I felt that energy and I know everyone in the crowd felt it. We feed off his aggression.”
The Clippers roared back from a 20-point deficit early in the fourth by nailing four straight 3s but they couldn’t tie it late. Durant’s layup increased Phoenix’s lead to 134-130 and he made two free throws to put it away.
“I think it’s a good lesson for us moving forward,” Booker said. “Don’t play with your food. Finish out as strong as you can. Keep playing all the way until the whistle blows.”
Norman Powell led Los Angeles with 27 points, Mason Plumlee scored 20 and Russell Westbrook had 14 points on 3 of 18 shooting. The Clippers were without star forward Kawhi Leonard for the final three games of the series because of a knee injury. They didn’t have eight-time All-Star Paul George for the entire series because of a sprained right knee.
“We just ran up against a really good opponent,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.
NUGGETS TAME TIMBERWOLVES
In Denver, two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had a triple-double and scored 28 points, Jamal Murray scored 35 points and the Nuggets eliminated the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 112-109 victory in Game 5.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 29 points but hit the back rim on a long 3-pointer attempt at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime.
“We started slow,” Murray said, “but once they started talking that woke us up. We locked in. We fought back in the second quarter and then I thought we did a good job executing down the stretch.”
Despite being the No. 1 seed, Jokic called the fourth-seeded Suns the “favorite to win the championship.”
“They have an amazing, amazing group of guys, well-coached, Jokic said. “So, it’s going to be a big challenge for us.”