Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks are not yet ready for vacation. They extended their first-round series against the Boston Celtics with a thrilling 119-117 win at TD Garden Tuesday night, thanks in large part to the heroics of Young (and some boneheaded plays by Marcus Smart and the Celtics).
Trae Young, playing without his backcourt partner Dejounte Murray because of a suspension, came up huge in the fourth period for the Hawks, dropping 16 of his game-high 38 points in the final quarter to help lift Atlanta to a win. His production in the fourth quarter also gave him the most points in the fourth through the first five games of a series in 12 years, as pointed out by ESPN Stats & Info.
“Trae Young scored 16 points in the 4th quarter Tuesday and now has 60 4th-quarter points this series. Young's 60 4th-quarter points are most through the first 5 games of a playoff series since Kevin Durant in 2011.”
Young delivered the most crucial baskets for the Hawks in the clutch. He drained a pair of free throws that put the Hawks ahead by a point with under 20 seconds remaining in regulation. The Celtics would later get the lead back off two points from Derrick White at the foul line when Young committed a shooting foul. However, Trae Young immediately atoned for his mistake by drilling a 30-point 3-pointer to give the Hawks the lead for good. It was quite a night for Young and the Hawks, who can force a Game 7 with another win in Game 6 at home.