Trae Young is beginning to blossom into one of the next superstar point guards in the NBA. His 48-point performance in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals carried the Hawks to a 116-113 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Hawks are now 3-0 in Game 1s in these playoffs.
Not only did Young post a career-high, but he also joined Luka Doncic as the only players age 22 or younger with a 45-point and 10-assist playoff game in NBA history, according to StatMuse.
Young scored 25 of the Hawks’ 54 first-half points, dominating the pick-and-roll offense continuously. It seemed like almost all his points came off floaters as the paint remained wide open with Brook Lopez sitting in a drop coverage. He capitalized his performance by doing a shimmy before draining a 28-foot three-pointer to give the Hawks an 8-point lead in the third quarter.
Khris Middleton missed the potential game-tying three, capping off an underwhelming performance. He scored 15 points on 6-for-23 shooting from the field, including 0-for-9 from three for the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a near triple-double posting 34 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists for the Bucks. Jrue Holiday provided 33 points and 10 assists.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Bucks went on a 9-0 run to lead 105-98 with just over four minutes remaining. However, the Hawks scored the next five points as the game went back and forth in the final minutes.
It wasn’t until Clint Capela grabbed his 19th rebound for a putback that gave the Hawks a one-point lead with just 29 seconds left. Pat Connaughton followed with an air-ball on a catch-and-shoot three-pointer.
Despite Giannis sinking a pair of free throws with 5.3 seconds remaining, Trae Young responded and iced the game with his own free throws with 4.6 seconds left.
This win gave the Hawks their first win in a Conference Finals game in Atlanta History. The Hawks will play Game 2 against the Bucks on Friday in hope of taking a 2-0 series lead.
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