Young scores 36 points, Hawks finish off Knicks in Game 5

Noel, Randle and Hill were given technical fouls. Young made a free throw on one of them before play began in the third quarter to give Atlanta a six-point lead.

Associated Press

Jun 3, 2021, 2:32 AM

Updated 1,150 days ago

Share:

Trae Young put the finishing touches on his impressive first playoff series with 36 points and nine assists, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the New York Knicks 103-89 on Wednesday night in Game 5.
Clint Capela backed up his confident words from a day earlier with 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Hawks, who will play the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in their first trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals since 2016. That series begins Sunday.
Young never looked like a playoff rookie, hitting the winning shot with 0.9 seconds left in the opener and scoring at least 20 points in every game. He made a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left for a 15-point lead, then stood at midcourt and bowed to the crowd that jeered him all series.
The profane chants toward the point guard were less frequent than in Games 1 or 2. Young was never rattled by the fans, one of whom was banned after spitting on Young in Game 2.
Now he has silenced them for the summer.
Julius Randle had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks to finish his disappointing first postseason. The winner of the NBA's Most Improved Player award shot 8 for 21 from the field and finished 28 for 94 (29.8%) in the series.
He led the Knicks to a 41-31 record in their first season under Tom Thibodeau, with a pair of 40-point games during a three-game season sweep of Atlanta. But the Hawks were by far the better team in this series, with only a poor second half of Game 2 keeping them from a sweep.
That continued a strong surge for the Hawks, who went 27-11 after March 1, when Lloyd Pierce was fired and replaced by interim coach Nate McMillan.
They won the two games in Atlanta easily and returned to New York confident they could close it out. Capela downplayed the Knicks' attempts to play physically, saying the Hawks could do that and also win the games.
Both coaches shrugged off the tougher talk but it seemed clear the players' emotions had risen. Words were exchanged after Taj Gibson's flagrant foul on De'Andre Hunter in the second hunter, and players had to be separated at halftime after the Knicks' Nerlens Noel and Atlanta's Solomon Hill bumped into each other as the teams were exiting the floor.
Noel, Randle and Hill were given technical fouls. Young made a free throw on one of them before play began in the third quarter to give Atlanta a six-point lead.
Randle then made a 3-pointer to cut it to 53-50, but the Knicks would make only four more baskets the rest of the quarter. Nine straight points by the Hawks made it 62-50 when Bogdan Bogdanovic made a 3-pointer, snapping Atlanta's 3 for 20 start behind the arc.
The margin remained at 12 after three, with Randle with seven field goals but seven turnovers at that point.
The Knicks couldn't make much dent in the final quarter, with even Spike Lee giving up and leaving with a little more than 3 minutes to go, and went weakly in their first postseason since 2013.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Hunter scored 15 points and John Collins had 13.
Knicks: RJ Barrett scored 17 points. ... Derrick Rose, moved into the starting lineup during the series, was just 3 for 11 for six points.
MARV AT MSG
Marv Albert called the game for TNT, his first time working on site since the All-Star Game and perhaps a last at Madison Square Garden for the longtime Knicks broadcaster who is retiring after the Eastern Conference finals. Albert began calling Knicks games on the radio in 1967 and began doing their games on TV for MSG Network in 1986 until he and the organization parted in 2004.
COACH K'S CREW
Both coaches in the series were assistants on the U.S. Olympic team under Mike Krzyzewski, who will coach his final season with Duke in 2021-22.
McMillan was on Krzyzewski's staff when the Americans won gold in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Thibodeau was on the staff when the U.S. won a third straight gold in 2016.
“Obviously, legendary. Not only an all-time great, maybe the greatest, but he's an even better person,” Thibodeau said. “He’s just an amazing leader, an amazing person and to do it as well as he’s done it as long as he’s done it, it just speaks volumes as to who he is.”


More from News 12
0:32
Police arrest man in connection to shooting murders in Clinton Hill

Police arrest man in connection to shooting murders in Clinton Hill

1:40
Nearly 300 probationary firefighters join the ranks of FDNY

Nearly 300 probationary firefighters join the ranks of FDNY

1:46
Sunny and warm weather with lower humidity for the weekend in Brooklyn

Sunny and warm weather with lower humidity for the weekend in Brooklyn

1:54
East Flatbush residents 'Occupy the Corner' for a safe summer

East Flatbush residents 'Occupy the Corner' for a safe summer

1:24
G train shutdown impacting Bed-Stuy commuters negatively

G train shutdown impacting Bed-Stuy commuters negatively

1:44
Gun detectors could arrive in NYC subway stations today as NYPD prepares pilot program

Gun detectors could arrive in NYC subway stations today as NYPD prepares pilot program

1:43
Welder Underground unveils ‘Rappin' Max Robot’ through apprenticeship program

Welder Underground unveils ‘Rappin' Max Robot’ through apprenticeship program

0:47
Attorney General James releases body camera footage of fatal officer-involved shooting in East Flatbush

Attorney General James releases body camera footage of fatal officer-involved shooting in East Flatbush

0:24
Police: Suspect wanted for punching 72-year-old man at 25th Street subway station

Police: Suspect wanted for punching 72-year-old man at 25th Street subway station

1:54
Boar’s Head deli meat recalled for potential listeria contamination

Boar’s Head deli meat recalled for potential listeria contamination

1:44
The Real Deal: How to save on expenses amid rising costs in New York

The Real Deal: How to save on expenses amid rising costs in New York

1:36
Students set to receive OMNY cards with more rides and less restrictions

Students set to receive OMNY cards with more rides and less restrictions

1:31
Tenants in Flatbush building say they are living with broken floors, mold, leaks and holes

Tenants in Flatbush building say they are living with broken floors, mold, leaks and holes

1:41
Neighbors describe MTA bus crashing into Burger King in Kensington

Neighbors describe MTA bus crashing into Burger King in Kensington

1:46
YMCA promotes swim safety services on World Drowning Prevention Day

YMCA promotes swim safety services on World Drowning Prevention Day

0:37
Brooklyn DA: Former teacher accused of enticing teenagers to send him explicit images

Brooklyn DA: Former teacher accused of enticing teenagers to send him explicit images

1:14
New lawsuits filed against Gov. Hochul's congestion pricing plan pause

New lawsuits filed against Gov. Hochul's congestion pricing plan pause

1:35
Rally outside Brooklyn Public Library calls for end to alleged 'power grab' from Mayor Adams

Rally outside Brooklyn Public Library calls for end to alleged 'power grab' from Mayor Adams

1:55
Residents say rats are taking over Sheepshead Bay street

Residents say rats are taking over Sheepshead Bay street

0:29
Southwest breaks 50-year tradition and will assign seats; profit falls at Southwest, American

Southwest breaks 50-year tradition and will assign seats; profit falls at Southwest, American