Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles the ball against Jalen McDaniels of the Charlotte Hornets during the second half at State Farm Arena on April 13, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Getty Images via AFP)
LOS ANGELES – Trae Young scored 24 points as the Atlanta Hawks thrashed the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA’s play-in tournament on Wednesday.
A decisive burst of scoring from Young and De’Andre Hunter in the third quarter saw the Hawks take control against an outclassed Charlotte team at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena.
Atlanta will now face Cleveland in the final round of the play-in tournament on Friday, where a place in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs — against top-seeded Miami — will be up for grabs.
“We’re clicking at the right time and this is the time to be clicking,” Young said.
After edging into a 60-52 halftime lead, Atlanta effectively sealed victory with a devastating third-quarter performance, outscoring the Hornets 42-24 and racing into a lead that stretched to 26 points at one stage.
Hunter and Young combined for 30 of those points in the third quarter, Hunter scoring 16 and Young adding 14, including three from outside the arc.
Hunter finished with 22 points as Atlanta’s balanced offense once again shared the scoring around.
Six Atlanta players finished in double figures, with Danilo Gallinari claiming 18 points, Clint Capela chipping in with 15 and Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic adding 13 points apiece.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who can play,” Young said. “We’ve dealt with a lot of injuries this year but we’ve got a lot of guys who can step up and make plays anytime throughout the game.”