BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 25: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots the game winning 29-foot three point basket against Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter in game five of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at TD Garden on April 25, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Trae Young led a late Hawks comeback punctuated by an ice-cold game-winner to stay alive in the playoffs against the Celtics, setting off NBA Twitter.
With 6:10 left in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown sunk a 3-point attempt to put his team up 109-96 over the Atlanta Hawks. And with the Celtics owning a 3-1 series lead, it seemed as if Boston was already packing its bags for the Second Round series against the 76ers. Trae Young, however, had other plans.
From that point on, Young led a ferocious charge by the Hawks to storm back into the game, going on a 20-6 run to take a one-point lead after the Atlanta guard sunk two clutch free throws.
So when Derrick White answered with two freebies of his own to give Boston back the lead, it was obvious who the rock was going to. And Trae Young made it count, pulling up from the logo with the Hawks’ season on the line and drilling the 30-footer for the eventual game-winner to stave off elimination.
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Naturally, Young’s heroics had NBA Twitter going wild.
Young’s game-winner gave the superstar guard the final 11 points in the win for Atlanta and punctuated a monster game as he finished with 38 points, 13 assists, four boards and five made 3-pointers. He’s also scored 30 points in each of the last three playoff games for the Hawks.
Of course, to keep fighting off playoff elimination, Young and the Hawks still have a tall task ahead as they still need two more wins to advance to the next round. But if the Atlanta star is going to play like this, particularly in the clutch, it’s hard to count them out just yet.