The Atlanta Hawks mounted the third-largest comeback in franchise playoff history to pull a game back in their series against Miami.
A suspicious package found outside of State Farm Arena on Friday night caused the NBA to delay the tip-off of Game 3 by almost an hour. The delay didn't seem to affect Trae Young's late-game wherewithal as the Hawks claimed Game 3 with a 111-110 win.
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The Heat outscored the Hawks 31-16 in the third quarter and had a 21-0 run. The Hawks trailed by as many as 16 points at one stage of the game before they mounted their comeback in the final period led by Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic, who had nine of his 18 points in the last quarter.
The Hawks trailed by as many as 16 vs the Heat Friday, making it their 3rd-largest playoff comeback in the last 25 seasons (had 2 larger ones vs 76ers last season) pic.twitter.com/JDl0Wo76K4
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 23, 2022
The Hawks have been super consistent at home since mid-January, winning 21 of 24 games.
Young, who struggled mightily with the Heat's pressure defense in Game 1, found his form again in Game 2. The All-Star guard finished with 25 points while shooting 50.0 percent from the field. A comeback performance for Young as he scored just eight points in Game 1.
On Friday, he overcame a slow start (just 2-of-7 from the field in the first half) to finish with 24 points, eight assists and four rebounds.
TRAE IS ICE COLD IN THE CLUTCH!
— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2022
The @ATLHawks win Game 3!#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/q1oqYA4QMM
"I didn't have any doubt if I shot it I was going to make it," Young said post-game. "But I was really trying to make the right read. I was driving to the middle and waiting to see if somebody helps and I was going, to be honest, find a shooter if they helped. Or if they didn't help, I was going to get to the basket. I was able to get to the basket and get my floater."
So what does this win mean for the Hawks moving forward in this series? Can they pull off an upset and progress to the next round?
Atlanta will have to be encouraged by the production of their second unit. Bogdanovic had 18 points, Delon Wright added 13 and Onyeka Okongwu had nine points, and one especially crucial offensive rebound too as coach Nate McMillan ran a tight 8-man rotation.
Just like last season's march to the Conference Finals, the Hawks' ability to hit clutch shots is shining through once again, and now it appears like they've figured out how to attack the Heat.
Heat guard Kyle Lowry exited the game with 1:59 left in the third quarter because of a left leg injury and did not return. His status for Sunday's Game 4 remains unclear, but the Hawks will look to exploit his absence if indeed he is not able to play.
The Hawks will once again need contributions from the entire squad if they want to even this series up on Sunday.
