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NBA Playoffs

Trae Young's 38 lift Hawks past Cavs for No. 8 playoff seed

Lauri Markkanen scored 26 and Darius Garland 21 for the young Cavaliers

Associated Press
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Trae Young scored 32 of his 38 points in the second half and the Atlanta Hawks overcame losing center Clint Capela to a knee injury to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-101 in the play-in on Friday night and earn the Eastern Conference's No. 8 playoff seed.

Young started slowly for the second straight game, but "Ice Trae," as he fancies himself, heated up when it mattered most.

The All-Star guard scored 16 points in third quarter to rally the Hawks from a 10-point halftime deficit, and added another 16 in the fourth to finish off the Cavs, whose inexperience showed throughout the second half.

Bogdan Bogdanovic added 19 points for Atlanta, which will play No. 1 seed Miami in the first round. Game 1 is Sunday in South Florida.

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Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young reacts to a foul call during the first half of the team's NBA play-in basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, April 15, 2022, in Cleveland.

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young reacts to a foul call during the first half of the team's NBA play-in basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, April 15, 2022, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Nick Cammett)

The Hawks, who made it to the conference finals a year ago, may have to go forward without Capela. The 6-foot-10 center hyperextended his right knee late in the first half, had to be helped from the floor and couldn't return.

Lauri Markkanen scored 26 and Darius Garland 21 for the young Cavaliers, whose unexpected season fell just shy of a playoff berth.

Cleveland hasn't been to the playoffs since 2018, and the Cavs haven't been to the postseason without LeBron James on their roster since 1998.

As if to add insult to injury, James tweeted an emoji of an ice cube in the closing seconds — a nod to Young — as the Hawks were ending Cleveland's season.

Lifted by a rowdy, towel-waving crowd in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cavs were in position to advance and played well in long stretches. However, Cleveland's offense bogged down in the third quarter, and the Cavs had no answer defensively for Young.

As the final seconds ticked off, Young waved goodbye as the Cleveland crowd thinned out and headed to the exits.

Those who stayed saluted the Cavs, who weren't expected to get this far after winning just 22 games last season. While they've been relegated to lottery picks and losing since James left after a four-year run to the NBA Finals four years ago, the future in Cleveland is bright.

With the season on the line, Cleveland got a huge emotional and defensive lift by the return of All-Star center Jarrett Allen, who had missed the previous 19 games with a broken finger on his left hand. Allen finished with 11 points.

The Hawks were in big trouble late in the third quarter, when Young finally heated up.

Ignoring some vulgar chants by Cleveland fans, the dazzling guard made a pair of 3-pointers and scored Atlanta's final 12 points in the quarter as the Hawks closed with a 17-8 run over the final 3:48 to tie it 84-all going into to the final 12 minutes.

Markkanen made four 3-pointers and Cleveland hit six shots from long range in the first 12 minutes to open an 11-point lead after one.

Atlanta helped with some sloppy play and committed seven turnovers, four by Young.

But once he started taking care of the ball, and making shots, there was no stopping him.

TIP-INS

Hawks: Danilo Gallinari added 14 points. ... Young averaged 32.5 points in four games against Cleveland in the regular season. ... F/C John Collins (finger, foot) and Lou Williams (back) both sat out. ... Committed a league-low 11.9 turnovers per game during the regular season.

Cavaliers: Kevin Love only played 10 minutes — one in the second half. ... Cleveland's 22-win improvement was the second biggest in club history. The 1991-92 Cavs made a 24-game jump.

CLEVELAND ROCKS

It was an extraordinary sports night in Cleveland.

While the Hawks and Cavaliers tangled with a postseason spot up for grabs, the Guardians played their first home game since changing their name next door at Progressive Field.

The doubleheader was reminiscent of 2016, when the Cavs received the NBA title rings on opening night as Cleveland’s baseball team, then called the Indians, hosted a World Series game.

UP NEXT

Hawks: Atlanta went 1-3 vs. Miami during the season.

Cavaliers: More time to rest up after an injury-ravaged season.