Despite losing the starting position Clint Capella Due to a first-half injury in Friday’s game, the Atlanta Hawks were delayed Tra Young The second half that saved the season to beat the Cavaliers 107-101 in Cleveland.
The Hawks advance to face the Miami Heat, the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, in the first round of the playoff series that begins Sunday in Miami.
Young, the Hawks’ All-Star general, carried his team with 38 points, with 30 in the second half and 15 in the fourth quarter alone.
Young’s 4-of-11 shot from a 3-point range and multiple back-breaking holes drilled helped the Falcons maintain their late lead. He added nine assists.
The Hawks took their first lead late in the third quarter with a three-pointer from Young, who scored 16 points in the quarter, helping his team overcome a 14-point lag.
The Cavaliers jumped to a double-digit lead in the first quarter behind a hot 3-point shot Laurie Markanen, who scored 17 points in the first half and sank 5 of 8 from a 3-point range before the break. Markkanen led the Cavaliers with 26 points, and Darius Garland 21 added.
Cavaliers All Star Center Garrett Allen He returned to the starting line-up after missing 19 matches with his broken left finger. Allen hasn’t played since March 6 but finished the game with 11 points and three rebounds.
The Hawks lost Capella in the first half when he overturned the Cavaliers Evan Mobley He fell to Capella’s knee. Kabila had to be helped off the field with what the Hawks later called a hyperextended right knee. Availability against heat is unclear.
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