David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Hawks Defeat Cleveland Cavaliers 107-101
Summary
It was the worst first half imaginable. Lauri Markkanen was the first snowball in an avalanche of wide-open threes from the Cavaliers. Meanwhile, the Hawks were equally poor on offense. Things went from bad to worse when Clint Capela went down with a hyper-extended knee.
The Hawks could have easily given up at halftime and started booking resorts in Cancun. They didn't do that. Their bench mob stopped the bleeding, and then All-Star point guard Trae Young put on another classic playoff performance - 38 points and 9 assists. It's honestly another reminder of why he deserves to be First Team All-NBA.
The Cavaliers scored just 41 points in the second half. Darius Garland was no longer finding open looks after knifing through the Hawks defense. Only three players came off the bench and provided very little production.
The Hawks have officially won the Play-In Tournament. They are officially going to the Playoffs for the second straight year. Their next game is Sunday in Miami against the Heat.
Post-Game Interviews
Hawks head coach Mate McMillan said, "We talked about in the locker room - believe. We lost Clint. We knew that he would be out for the rest of the game and the message was 'believe.' I think this team is built for moments like this. They showed last year what they could do in situations like this."
Trae Young sat at the podium with enough ice around his neck to solve the global climate crisis. When asked about making it to the playoffs, Young said, "We just took care of business. We took care of the things we needed to. The east is probably better than the west this year, deeper. It was battle."
Best Photos from Hawks at Cavaliers
Stats
Hawks Leaders
Trae Young - 38 PTS, 9 AST
Bogdan Bogdanovic - 19 PTS, 3 STL
Danilo Gallinari - 14 PTS, 3 REB
Cavaliers Leaders
Lauri Markkanen - 26 PTS, 8 REB
Darius Garland - 21 PTS, 9 REB
Caris Levert - 16 PTS, 5 REB
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