Trae Young gives Hawks Game 1 win over Knicks

[May 24, 2021]    Trae Young drove the lane for the game-winning floater with 0.9 seconds left Sunday night as the visiting Atlanta Hawks mounted a late rally and edged the New York Knicks, 107-105, in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at Madison Square Garden.

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) dunks the ball against the New York Knicks during the first half during game one in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Seth Wenig/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports

Young scored 13 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter for the Hawks, who led by as many as 11 in the first quarter. He also had 10 assists. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 18 points while Lou Williams scored 13 points off the bench and John Collins finished with 12 points.

Reserve Alec Burks scored 18 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter for the Knicks, whose biggest lead was a seven-point advantage in the third. Derrick Rose had 17 points off the bench while Julius Randle (15 points, 12 rebounds) had a double-double. RJ Barrett scored 14 points and Immanuel Quickley added 10.

Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night in New York.

Young's basket capped a frantic final 3:40 in which the two surprise playoff teams -- the Hawks returned to the playoffs after a three-year drought while Sunday marked the Knicks' first postseason game since 2013 -- combined for four lead changes and two ties.

Bogdanovic and De'Andre Hunter hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Hawks, who trailed by as many as six in the fourth, a 97-93 lead. Barrett muscled his way to a layup and Randle hit a 3-pointer to put the Knicks ahead 98-97 with 2:04 left

Young followed with an old-fashioned three-point play but Burks responded with a go-ahead 3-pointer. Following a turnover by Young, Burks sank a 16-footer to extend the Knicks' lead to 103-100 with 1:11 left.

Bogdanovic hit a 3-pointer out of a timeout and Burks missed a shot on the next trip. Young drew a foul with 28.6 seconds left and hit both free throws. Rose tied it at 105-105 on a floater with 10.2 seconds left, after which the Hawks used their final timeout to set up Young's go-ahead basket.

The Knicks had one chance to tie or win the game, but Randle, defended by Collins, could not get a shot off before the buzzer. Young walked off the court making a shushing motion at the boisterous sellout crowd of 15,047.

--Field Level Media

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