ATLANTA — Trae Younger struggled within the first two video games of the playoffs.
Didn’t actually matter.
With Recreation 3 on the road and the season hanging within the steadiness, the Atlanta Hawks wished the ball in his fingers.
Younger delivered, hitting a floater within the lane with 4.4 seconds left that gave the Hawks a 111-110 victory over top-seeded Miami on Friday night time after Atlanta overcame a 16-point deficit within the second half.
The Hawks lower the Warmth’s sequence result in 2-1.
“I didn’t have any doubts,” Younger stated. “I used to be capable of get to the basket and get my floater.”
Jimmy Butler missed a jumper with 12.6 second left that might’ve given the Warmth a three-point cushion. The Hawks grabbed the rebound and acquired the ball in Younger’s fingers, passing up the possibility to name a timeout.
“No approach I used to be calling a timeout there,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan stated. “We acquired the rebound down by one with the ball in Trae’s fingers. That’s an incredible probability to get in transition.”
Miami had another probability to win it, however Butler missed once more on an off-balance 3 on the buzzer with De’Andre Hunter in his face to present the Hawks a burst of hope within the best-of-seven sequence.
“The plan was get free, shoot it and make it,” Butler stated. “I didn’t do it. I’ll make the following one.”
Recreation 4 is Sunday night time in Atlanta.
P.J. Tucker led a 21-0 run within the third quarter that pushed the Warmth to an 84-68 lead and seemingly on cruise management to a 3-0 lead. However Younger and the Hawks wouldn't allow them to get away.
The Warmth additionally had been coping with an damage to level guard Kyle Lowry, who went out within the third quarter with a hamstring downside and didn't return. He’ll endure exams Saturday to find out the severity of the damage.
“I like that man as our level guard,” Butler stated. “If he’s with us, yippee ki-yay. If he’s not, somebody will step in and do his job. We’ve acquired sufficient guys in that room to make up for him.”
After being held to eight factors in Miami’s Recreation 1 blowout and committing a career-worst 10 turnovers in Recreation 2, Younger appeared extra like himself on his dwelling court docket.
He had 24 factors regardless of one other stout defensive effort by the Warmth, and turned it over simply thrice. And, in fact, Younger hit the shot that actually mattered on the finish.
“He’s the top of the snake,” teammate Delon Wright stated.
Bogdan Bogdanovic added 18 factors, Hunter 17 and three others scored in double figures to take a number of the stress off the star guard.
Coming off a 45-point effort in Recreation 3, the most effective playoff sport of his profession, Butler was held to twenty on this one and missed a chief alternative to place Miami on the cusp of a sweep.
Tyler Herro led the Warmth with 24 factors, and Max Strus additionally had 20.
The Hawks led by 11 within the first half and had been nonetheless up 68-63 when Hunter hit a 3-pointer with slightly below eight minutes remaining within the third.
That’s when Miami all of the sudden took management of a sport that was delayed about 45 minutes after a suspicious package deal was discovered exterior State Farm Enviornment earlier than the sport.
The Warmth turned up their stifling protection, knocked down pictures and silenced a sellout crowd that was used to seeing the Hawks win at dwelling.
Tucker scored eight factors within the six-minutes spree, however his greatest work got here on the different finish on Younger.
Leaning on him a lot that Younger shoved him away in frustration on an inbounds play, the 36-year-old Tucker used each trick within the e book to stifle simply the second participant in NBA historical past to steer the league in whole factors and assists.
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