By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Behind 48 points by Trae Young – who also had 11 assists and seven rebounds – and the double-doubles of Swiss big man Clint Capela (12 p. 19 r.) and John Collins (23 p. 15 r.), the Atlanta Hawks got the road win in Milwaukee with 116-113 to start with a bang the Eastern Conference semifinals. It’s the first time in the Hawks‘ history that they get a win in conference finals.
According to Stat Muse, Trae Young is the first player in NBA history with at least 45 points and 10 assists in a Conference Finals game. “You have to put him with the top guys in the league”, said Hawks coach Nate McMillan about his young star. “He doesn’t have a weakness offensively.”
Thanks to a 13-2 run, the Bucks got a 105-98 lead with four minutes left, but Atlanta’s answer was their own quick 5-0 run that trimmed the lead to two points (105-103). The dogfight continued and Capela finally gave Atlanta the 112-111 lead after getting an offensive rebound, just 30 seconds before the end of the game.
In the remaining time, Pat Connaughton air-balled a three, the Hawks got a three-point advantage (114-111), and Giannis Antetokounmpo with two free throws made it again a one-point game.
Young was fouled, made both free throws (116-113), and Khris Middleton couldn’t send the game to overtime with the last shot of the night.
The Greek Freak missed the triple-double for one assist (34 p. 12 r. 9 as.). Still, it was not enough. Jrue Holiday also was as impressive with 33 points and 10 assists.
For the winning side, Italian forward Danilo Gallinari added nine points, while Serb Bogdan Bogdanovic playing hurt had four points, three rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
Photo: Gettyimages