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Trae Young once again proved that he's built for the playoffs in Game 5 against the Boston Celtics. "Ice Trae" sent the series back to Atlanta with a game-winning 27-footer over the outstretched arms of Jaylen Brown.
Young's jaw-dropping triple pushed the Hawks to a thrilling 119-117 victory over the heavily favored Eastern Conference champions.
NBA players promptly reacted to Trae Young's heroics on Twitter:
"This is some good hoops!!!#IceTrae"
The odds were stacked against the Atlanta Hawks surviving Game 5 against the loaded Boston Celtics in Beantown. Atlanta missed the services of star guard Dejounte Murray after he was suspended for verbally abusing and then bumping into a referee.
The Hawks were also coming off a Game 4 loss on their home floor where everything they threw at the Celtics went for naught. It didn't look good for Atlanta as they faced a win-or-go-home situation.
The Atlanta Hawks were such heavy underdogs that even the State Farm Arena ticketmaster booked a Janet Jackson concert on Apr. 27. Tonight's win guarantees that the Grammy-award winning actress will not be doing her gig on the said date.
Trae Young started the game on fire, dissecting Boston's defense through a series of pick-and-roll plays. He already had 15 points and six assists after the first 24 minutes of the game.
"Ice Trae" finished the game even hotter than his start. He dropped 16 fourth-quarter points against the Celtics, including the go-ahead long three-pointer with 2.8 seconds left in the game.
Several of Trae Young's teammates stepped up big to extend their season. John Collins had his best game of the series and finished with 22 points, which was highlighted by 4-9 shooting from deep.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, who started in Dejounte Murray's place, tallied 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal.
Despite all their efforts, they were still at death's door until Trae Young buried the clutch three-pointer to cut Boston's series lead to 3-2.
Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks need to play even better to force a Game 7 in Boston
The Boston Celtics almost won the game despite Jayson Tatum's horrific shooting night. Boston's franchise player played 38 minutes but finished with just 19 points on 8-21 field-goal attempts. Tatum missed all but one of his 11 three-pointers.
The Celtics also had the edge in almost every statistical battle except for three-point efficiency. Atlanta's 19-41 shooting from deep, their best this season, was their saving grace. Boston (12-38) lost that battle and squandered the game.
The defending Eastern Conference champions had better overall shooting, more rebounds, more fastbreak points, assists, blocks and points inside the paint. Atlanta can't lose all these mini-battles and expect to emerge as winners again in another win-or-go-home situation.
Boston is a proven performer in the postseason. They were on the brink of elimination against the Milwaukee Bucks last year and thoroughly outplayed their opponents on their home floor.
The Atlanta Hawks will have to play significantly better in Game 6 against the Boston Celtics to force a winner-take-all Game 7.
Guess the Lakers players!
