The Atlanta Hawks came out and surprised most outside of the fanbase (some of them too) by beating the Philadelphia 76ers 103-100 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They trailed by 13 at the half but used a 31-point third quarter to knot the series up at 2-2. It’s quite the turnaround after many had written them off.
Trae Young had his shoulder heavily wrapped much of the night with an injury he reportedly suffered last game. He said it was sore but the issue is there was no mention of any soreness on the Hawks injury report.
That could mean trouble down the road for the organization. More importantly, it could mean trouble for Young and the Hawks now.
The Atlanta Hawks can take control of the series with a win in Game 5
He finally played loose, letting the game come to him as he’s done so well down the stretch. He began to press as he been met with strong resistance from Philadelphia’s three All-Defensive Team players, Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, and Joel Embiid.
Young’s 18 assists in Game 4 tied with James Harden (Round 1, Game 4) for the most in the playoffs since Rajon Rondo had 21 back in 2018. The last Hawks player to have more in a game was actually current 76ers head coach, Doc Rivers. He had 22 way back in 1988 against the team he would eventually win a ring with as the head coach, the Boston Celtics.
The circle of life aside, it’s been Young’s underappreciated versatility offensively that led to a Hawks victory in Game 4. What will it take to repeat the outcome in Game 5?
Keys to winning Game 5 vs Atlanta Hawks:1. The “Big” Quarter
Atlanta had been getting outscored in the latter stages of games throughout this series. The 76ers had a decisive edge in that regard and we mentioned that things obviously had to change for the Hawks fortunes to reverse.
Boy, did they ever.
Atlanta outscored Philadelphia 54-38 in the second half after it looked like the Hawks were headed towards another blowout in the other direction after the first.
They wound up getting 17 second-half points from Trae and 10 from John Collins, including seven in a surprising third quarter. It was an encouraging sign from the soon-to-be restricted free agent. If Collins can keep attacking the rim from the weak side, cleaning up the misses from the shooters which we’ll get into shortly, then Atlanta can take control of this series in Game 5.
That third quarter, right out of halftime, is pivotal not only for the Hawks but the 76ers as well.
All season long, the third quarter was Philadelphia’s worst scoring quarter. Technically, the fourth quarter was but you figure a good portion of that is due to reserves playing in lopsided games.
This series, it’s been one of their best, along with the fourth as they’ve really applied to the Hawks in the second half. The proof? Even after Monday’s Game 4 win brought Atlanta neck-and-neck in terms of first-half scoring, they still trail in second half scoring by 6.3 points.
Game 5 will need the same type of aggression from the Hawks, regardless of whether or not Joel Embiid plays. Even if the 76ers big man plays, he should be slowed somewhat by his re-aggravated knee, giving the Hawks another avenue of attack. As a matter of fact, healthy will play a very big part in Game 5.
Keys to winning Game 5 vs Atlanta Hawks: 2. Trae Young’s Right Shoulder
76ers fans are undoubtedly on pins and needles awaiting news on Embiid’s balky knee. The entire tone of the game changed once he was feeling the injury. But not long before that, and perhaps lost in the outcome, was Trae Young appearing to nurse his own injury to his shoulder, wearing a very large wrap.
He still went on to have a career night in assists and poured in 25 points, 17of which came in the second half. But reports during the game were that it happened last game.
The repercussions of Atlanta not listing Young in the injury report aside, how much was that to blame for his shooting 30 percent from the floor and 27 percent from deep? He was finding teammates with ease but that motion is very different from having to hoist up shot after shot as the Hawks battled back from being down early.
However, Young took the most shots he’s taken since Game 5 against the Knicks. He also scored or assisted on the Hawks final 13 points.
Young says he’s “fine”, adding, “It’s just sore; don’t know how to explain it to you”. Head Coach Nate McMillan said he wasn’t aware of any injury. He also spoke on his point guard’s shooting woes.
"“He was missing some shots that he normally makes; the ball wouldn’t fall for him. But he stuck with it,” McMillan said."
At any rate, they will need him to be more efficient but if he keeps finding teammates as he did on Monday, the outcome will be good for the Hawks on Wednesday.
Keys to winning Game 5 vs Atlanta Hawks: 3. Shooters Shoot
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One thing for certain, if Young is bothered by that shoulder in Game 5, his teammates will have to step up, particularly from outside. The Hawks have been rather incapable of slowing the 76ers down beyond the arc so the next best bet is to try to match and surpass what Philly’s shooters can do.
It’s a tall task; Philly is third in the postseason in three-point percentage and they have four players shooting 40 percent or better from deep. Even Embiid is canning his triples at a 39.3 percent clip!
Still, the Hawks have the snipers to outduel the 76ers if everyone is hitting their shots. But they haven’t been, at least not from the outside.
In their two wins, Atlanta has shot 36.3 percent from deep. In the losses, that number plummets to 31.4 percent. Philly shot 37.6 percent in their two losses compared to 46.9 percent in their wins. Game 4 was the first time the team with the higher three-point percentage didn’t walk away with a win.
The point is, the Hawks shooters haven’t even found their stroke from outside yet they are still in this thing with a chance to take control on Wednesday. Young was asked about his ability to shoot, or lack thereof, in Game 4.
“I’m not blaming my shooting on my arm,” he said adding, “I felt like I had a lot of good looks, and the shots just weren’t going in. I got to be better at knocking down my shots”.
Maybe, with Young possibly nursing a bum shoulder, this will be the game the others’ shots fall.