NBA: Hawks, 76ers set for Game 7; Bucks await in East finals

After a grueling 72-game marathon and nearly two rounds of the playoffs, it all comes down to a one-game sprint for the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers.

The fifth-seeded Hawks visit the top-seeded 76ers on Sunday night in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

The winner will advance to the Eastern Conference finals, where Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, fresh off beating the Brooklyn Nets in a series that also went the distance, await.

The 76ers staved off elimination with a hard-fought 104-99 win in Atlanta on Friday night. 

"It's fun. It's a lot of fun," said Seth Curry, who highlighted his 24-point performance by making six 3-pointers. "That's a great team over there. ... You've just got to weather the storm and come back at them at the other end." 

Joel Embiid collected 22 points and 13 rebounds while continuing to play through a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.

Embiid's frustration, however, was evident after he felt he wasn't receiving enough foul calls from the referees. Embiid and John Collins nearly ended up in a tussle behind the basket.

"I just want it called both ways," Embiid said. "If we are going to call something like nothing on their point guard (Trae Young), it should be the same way when they call the same thing on me if I get touched."

The Sixers last reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2001, when they ousted the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games.

"The guys are ready to play," Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said.

The surprising Hawks dispatched the New York Knicks in five games in the opening round.

The Hawks won twice in New York in that round and have done the same in Philadelphia in this series.

"To be honest, I don't think any of that matters," said Young, who had 34 points and 12 assists on Friday. "It's one game. They came in and took care of business to force a Game 7. ... All the other games don't mean anything. Both teams are in win-or-go-home situations." 

The Hawks, who are already without De'Andre Hunter with a right knee injury, could also be without Bogdan Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic left in the fourth quarter with right knee soreness and was sidelined for the rest of the game.

Coach Nate McMillan on Saturday said he was uncertain of Bogdanovic's status for Game 7, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The Hawks likely will need Bogdanovic and others to shoot well from beyond the 3-point arc if they wish to advance. On Friday, the Hawks made only 10 from beyond the arc and missed 11 of 24 free-throw attempts.

"It feels like we haven't shot well really since Game 1," Atlanta's Kevin Huerter said. "We have to get that rhythm back. We made a couple late threes that put us in a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter. Obviously, we couldn't hit one in the big moments to close this thing out."

The Hawks made a franchise playoff-record 20 3-pointers in the series opener. In a deciding Game 7, the Hawks simply need to do just enough to win. 

"I think guys are getting a lot of good looks and good shots," Young said. "They're just not making them."

-reuters-

NBA: Trae Young's 41 points carry Hawks past Wizards

Trae Young stalled a Washington rally with his fourth 3-pointer of the game and added a fifth shortly thereafter, helping the visiting Atlanta Hawks hold off the Wizards 116-100 on Friday night.

Young went for 41 points in a head-to-head with NBA scoring leader Bradley Beal, propelling the Hawks to a fifth win in their last seven games.

Beal, who began the day with a 35.4-point scoring average, had 26 points for the Wizards, tying Russell Westbrook for team-high honors.

After leading by as many as 23 in the third quarter, the Hawks found themselves in a game after the Wizards ran off 11 straight points to get within 102-92 with still 5:08 remaining. Rui Hachimura had five of the 11 points, including a 3-pointer.

But Young countered with a 3-pointer at the 4:53 mark, then added another 29 seconds later to help the Hawks pull away.

Young finished 10-for-18 from the field, 5-for-9 on 3-pointers and 16-for-17 at the free throw line en route to his second-highest point total of the season. He had a season-high 43 at Minnesota last Friday.

It was his eighth time over 30 points this season.

John Collins chipped in with 17 points, Clint Capela with a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double and Danilo Gallinari with 11 points off the bench for the Hawks, who were coming off a 132-128 overtime loss at home to Brooklyn.

Beal's 26 points left him four shy of a seventh straight game with 30 or more. He shot 10-for-26 overall, but missed all eight of his 3-point attempts.

Westbrook bombed in three 3-pointers during his 26-point performance, but the Wizards were outscored 36-21 by the Hawks from beyond the arc.

Garrison Mathews added 10 points off the bench for Washington, which lost its fourth straight in the opener of a three-game homestand.

The Hawks never trailed after a layup by Onyeka Okongwu put them up 18-17 at the 2:52 mark of the first quarter.

Atlanta extended the advantage to as many as nine points in the first quarter, 13 in the second and 23 in the third before the Wizards rallied.

-reuters-

NBA: Hawks lose Young to injury, lose game to Heat

In a game marred by an injury to star Atlanta point guard Trae Young, the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler defeated the visiting Hawks, 112-97, on Tuesday night.

Atlanta's John Collins led all scorers with 30 points. Miami rookie Tyler Herro had 19 of his 29 points in the second quarter and Butler -- making his Heat debut -- added 21 points. Goran Dragic also had 21 points for Miami.

Young, who entered the game ranked second in the NBA in scoring (34.0) and tied for fifth in assists (9.0), injured his right ankle with 9.57 left in the second quarter and did not return.

After getting tangled up with Justise Winslow, Young left the court in pain and with just five points in 11 minutes. It's the second-lowest scoring total of his pro career.

Shortly after the injury, the Hawks announced Young sustained a sprained right ankle and would not return to the game. ESPN reported that X-rays taken immediately after Young left the court were negative and that the team is optimistic the injury is not serious. According to the report, Young will undergo an MRI exam soon.

Atlanta trailed 36-31 when Young got hurt and couldn't adequately compete without him, scoring a season-low 97 points.

Butler, Miami's biggest offseason acquisition, missed the Heat's first three games following the birth of his daughter. But on the first touch of his Heat career, Butler drove and scored on a layup. He had 12 points 4-for-4 shooting in the first quarter.

Collins, who played his high school ball locally at Cardinal Newman in West Palm Beach, made 10 of 17 shots from the floor, including 5 of his 8 on 3-pointers.

Miami was without forward Derrick Jones (groin injury). Heat shooting guard Dion Waiters, who was suspended by the team for Miami's opener, and forward James Johnson (conditioning) have still not played this season.

The Heat led, 29-26, after the first quarter. Young had the first scoreless quarter of his season, missing his only two shots. Collins kept Atlanta in the game with a 12-point quarter, going 4-for-5 on 3-point shots, but Butler and Dragic (nine points) helped Miami to the lead.

The Heat, using an 11-0 run that began midway through the second quarter, extended their lead to 59-49 at halftime, and stretched it to 88-70 after three quarters.

Atlanta, which never led by more than two points, never got closer than 11 in the fourth quarter.

source: news.abs-cbn.com