NBA Playoffs 2021: By The Numbers - Trae Young joins LeBron James in the record books with scorching Game 1 performance

Benyam Kidane

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NBA Playoffs 2021: By The Numbers - Trae Young joins LeBron James in the record books with scorching Game 1 performance image

The Atlanta Hawks entered each playoff series as the underdog, but each time they've stunned their opponents in Game 1. 

In tonight's Eastern Conference Finals matchup, they did it again, edging the Milwaukee Bucks 116-113 to earn their sixth road win in the playoffs, thanks to Trae Young's playoff career-high 48 points. 

TAKEAWAYS: Young powers Hawks to Game 1 upset

Young has been the breakout star of the postseason, with the bright lights only making the third-year guard take his game up a level. He finished with 48 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds on 17-of-34 from the field, 4-of-13 from the 3-point line and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. 

In the process, he put his name alongside some legendary company. 

Let's take a deeper dive into the numbers behind Young's Game 1 masterpiece:

1: Trae joins LeBron 

Whenever you put your name alongside a LeBron James playoff record, you know you're doing something right. 

The 22-year-old tied LeBron's record for most points by a player 22 or younger in the Conference Finals, matching his 48 points in Game 5 of the ECF Finals against the Detroit Pistons in 2007.

Keep in mind, LeBron's' iconic 48 came in double-overtime. 

The Hawks guard isn't just good for a young player, he's historically good. Young's 48 points are also the third most in a Conference Finals game in NBA history, trailing only LeBron (49), Dirk Nowitzki (50) and Michael Jordan (54), per StatMuse.

Meanwhile, he's the first player in NBA history with 45 points and 10 assists in a Conference Finals game and joins Luka Doncic as the only players 22 or younger with a 45p/10a playoff game in NBA history.

7: Young's 30-point games

Tonight's performance marked Young's seventh 30-point game of the postseason. The only players 22 or younger to have more in a single postseason are Amar'e Stoudemire in 2005 and LeBron James in 2006.

Six of Young's 30-point games have come on the road — the most in NBA history for a player in their first career postseason.

Through 13 playoff games, Young is averaging 30.5 points, 10.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds on 42.2 percent from the field, 32.8 percent from three and 87.3 percent at the line. 

72: Points he scored or assisted

Adding 11 assists to his 48 points in Game 1, Young scored or assisted on 72 of the Hawks' 116 points, accounting for 62 percent of the team's offence — a Conference Finals record, per Elias Sports.

Young had no shortage of highlight-reel dimes in Game 1, none better than this alley-oop off the backboard to John Collins in the third quarter. 


3: Hawks franchise history

Young's 48 points etched his name in the Atlanta Hawks franchise record books. 

He now has the third-highest score in a playoff game, trailing only Bob Pettit 48 (1950) and Dominique Wilkins 50 (1986).

His 25 first-half points marked the third time this postseason he's scored at least 25 points, the most by a Hawks player in the last 25 years, per ESPN Stats & Info.

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Benyam Kidane

Benyam Kidane Photo

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor and has been covering the league for The Sporting News since 2016. In his spare time you can find him watching Allen Iverson highlights on repeat.