![]() ![]() He waved off fans with a 3 in the third quarter that cut off a small Sixers run.Įmbiid answered the will-he-or-won't-he play question when he walked out for pregame introductions in matching T-shirts with the star wrestler - Triple H's D-Generation X faction was Embiid's favorite - and had the packed house going wild as he held the sledgehammer high over his head.Įmbiid did his part with 39 points and nine rebounds in 38 minutes after he suffered a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee last Monday against Washington. In Philly, he heard ''Trae is balding! Trae is balding!'' chants that dimmed with each 3-pointer - he hit four 3s and had 10 assists. One Knicks fan spit on Young during the first-round series. The 6-foot-1 Young led the Hawks to the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and has craved the pressure that comes with playing big postseason games in big markets. ''Eventually, he'll see some time on a guy who's hot,'' coach Nate McMillan said. Simmons said he wanted his shot for a full 40 minutes on Young and the Hawks expected a shift in strategy. ![]() They played harder, early.''ĭanny Green could not hang as the primary defender on Young instead of Simmons, an NBA defensive player of the year candidate. ''They hit us in the mouth to start the game,'' 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. He stuck a pose in Philly - he held his right arm high and pointed toward the basket for several seconds that followed a 27-footer he buried to close the first half. Young bowed during the clincher to the New York crowd that had jeered him in every game. The Hawks used a 17-0 run in the first half - they hit 20 3s overall - and Young was shaking, saluting and toying with the Sixers and the crowd. For all the focus on Embiid, All-Star Ben Simmons and the top-seeded Sixers, Young was the can't-miss player in Game 1 - as in, he rarely did with the ball, and all eyes were on him. Young, much like he did in five games against the Knicks when he averaged 29.2 points, thrived in the spotlight. Going off as five-point underdogs, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Hawks made 14 of their first 18 buckets and were the aggressors, eagerly seizing their moment on national television. That wasn't the only long shot that went off successfully. He even put his fingers to his lips and shushed the raucous crowd for good measure. The Sixers - playing in front of their biggest crowd of the season at 18,624 - refused to easily cede home court and Embiid scored consecutive baskets that brought them within three with 1:01 left.īogdan Bogdanovic, who missed all three games in the season series against the 76ers with a knee injury, steadied the Hawks when he buried a 3 that gave them needed breathing room. ![]() Young and the Hawks had the Sixers down for the count from the jump and led by 26 points. He walked out with WWE star Triple H to a roaring ovation. Everyone's locked in.''Įmbiid raised a sledgehammer as he returned from a one-game absence with a cartilage tear in his right knee. ''The confidence in all these guys is high,'' Young said. Young scored 25 of his 35 points in the first half as Atlanta shook off Joel Embiid and a hostile crowd and held on to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 128-124 Monday (PHT) in their Eastern Conference semifinal opener. ''Thank God we were up 20,'' Hawks guard Kevin Huerter said. PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Trae Young put an early smackdown on Philly that had the Hawks in control of Game 1 and finished the win with a lob to John Collins for a one-handed jam.Ĭollins punched the air in celebration - and the Hawks took a moment to exhale after a hefty lead was nearly squandered. ![]()
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