ATLANTA — The Hawks held off the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 to win 128 - 124.
Trae Young helped lead the team to a major lead in the final moments of the game, but the Sixers fought back in the final seconds of the game.
Young scored 35 points, making him the first player in Hawks franchise history to have scored 35+ points and 10+ assists in a playoff game.
The Sixers are coming off a 3-1 series win over the Washington Wizards, while Atlanta won their opening round series with the New York Knicks 3-1.
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The Hawks stunned many observers who did not pick them to beat the Knicks, but Atlanta played suffocating defense on Knicks star Julius Randle and were able to limit turnovers or mistakes on offense.
Star guard Trae Young had a great opening round series, leading the Hawks, averaging just over 29 points a game while handing out nearly 10 assists. He came up big in Game 5 vs. the Knicks, dropping 36 points and taking a bow at half-court afterwards.
John Collins, Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic and the rest of the Hawks roster played well with all five starters averaging double figures in the Knicks series.
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The 76ers have been banged up and may be without star center Joel Embiid who’s been diagnosed with a small tear in his meniscus. Embiid led Philadelphia in scoring during the season, averaging nearly 29 points per game. He sat out the Sixers clincher with the Wizards and his status for the games vs. Atlanta are still in question.
While Embiid is the headliner, Ben Simmons was also a 76er All-Star in 2021 and will be a challenge for the Hawks defense. Not known for his outside shooting, Simmons runs the floor like a point guard and is a danger getting to the basket and scoring
The two teams have played three times during the regular season, with the Sixers winning the last two meetings, including a 126-104 win April 30.
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Here is the preliminary schedule for the series:
- Game 1: Sunday at 1 p.m in Philadelphia
- Game 2: Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Philadelphia
- Game 3: Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Atlanta
- Game 4: Monday, June 14, time TBD in Atlanta
- Game 5: (If necessary) Wednesday, June 16, time TBD in Philadelphia
- Game 6: (If necessary) Friday, June 18, time TBD in Atlanta
- Game 7: (If necessary) Sunday, June 20, time TBD in Philadelphia
Should the Hawks advance, they’d face the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets series in the Eastern Conference Finals.