In the final play-in game in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to storm back in the second half and beat the Cavaliers 107–101 in Cleveland on Friday night.
With the victory, Atlanta will advance to the playoffs as the eight seed and will take on top-seeded Miami in the first round, beginning Sunday in South Beach.
Hawks guard Trae Young was the story of the night, as he scored 32 second-half points to lead the charge and push Atlanta over the top. Young finished with a game-high 38 points on 13-of-25 shooting from the floor.
As Young struggled in the first half, Bogdan Bogdanović picked up the slack for Atlanta. Bogdanović scored 19 points in 29 minutes off the bench, proving to be the key cog in Atlanta’s 25–9 bench scoring advantage over Cleveland in the contest.
Aside from Young and Bogdanović, the Hawks had three other players finish in double-digits, including Danilo Gallinari (14 points), Kevin Huerter (13) and De’Andre Hunter (10).
Atlanta lost star center Clint Capela just before halftime after Cavs center Evan Mobley fell back into him, causing Capela to hyperextend his knee. His status will need to be monitored heading into the series against the Heat, as he has averaged 11 points and 12 rebounds per game this season.
As for Cleveland, all five starters finished in double-figures, led by Lauri Markkanen’s 26 points. Darius Garland finished with 21 for the Cavaliers, who finish the season at 44–38 and just on the outside of the playoff picture looking.
Despite the disappointing end to the season, Cleveland will look to build on their young core heading into next season.
Meanwhile, the Hawks will look to replicate their playoff run from a year ago, when they got hot at the right time and reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
