Hawks take series lead with Game 3 win over cold-shooting Knicks
Trae Young #11 reacts with Clint Capela #15 of the Atlanta Hawks at the conclusion of the game against the New York Knicks in game three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at State Farm Arena on May 28, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. Todd Kirkland/Getty Images/AFP
Trae Young collected 21 points and 14 assists to lift the host Atlanta Hawks to a 105-94 win over the New York Knicks on Friday in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 15 points and John Collins added 14 for the Hawks, who benefited from a late 22-5 surge to end the second quarter to seize a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.
Clint Capela recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds and former Knick Danilo Gallinari sank all four of his 3-point attempts to finish with 12 points for the Hawks.
21 PTS, 14 AST for @TheTraeYoung.
2-1 series lead for @ATLHawks.Game 4: Sunday at 1pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/fNKvhCtGdc
— NBA (@NBA) May 29, 2021
Atlanta sank 16 of 27 shots from 3-point range for a blistering 59.3 percent.
New York’s Derrick Rose made the most of being elevated into the starting lineup by scoring 11 of his 30 points in the first quarter. He made 13 of 21 shots from the floor.
Julius Randle, however, overcame a brutal 2-of-15 performance from the floor to finish with 14 points for the Knicks. RJ Barrett made just 2 of 9 shots to record seven points. The Knicks finished 35.8 percent from the floor as a team.
Alec Burks drained a 3-pointer to stake New York to a 39-36 lead with 7:19 remaining in the second quarter before Atlanta went on a tear. Young, Collins, Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter each converted from beyond the arc as the Hawks scored 22 of the final 27 points to claim a 58-44 advantage at halftime.
Bogdanovic highlighted his nine-point third quarter with a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to push Atlanta’s lead to 79-63 with 3:06 left.
Kevin Huerter and Lou Williams each sank a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter and Gallinari converted from beyond the arc for the fourth time in as many tries to give the Hawks a 97-80 advantage. New York was unable to draw within single digits the rest of the way.
Rose made five of his first six shots to record 11 points and Randle sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to stake New York to a 31-29 lead after the first quarter. The Knicks helped their cause by making all 13 of their foul shots in the opening stanza.
