Hawks Come From Behind, Steal Game 5 Away From Home
The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 109-106, at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday evening in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. As a result, Atlanta now holds a 3-2 lead in the series.
This was a win the Hawks will probably remember for a long time, as they pulled off a massive comeback out of nowhere to claim Game 5, and now they're just 48 minutes away from moving to the Conference Finals. Such didn't seem to be the case early on, though, as the Sixers jumped out to a 38-24 lead in the first quarter and essentially controlled the game the rest of the first half, outscoring Atlanta 24-16 in the second quarter as well. The Hawks started their comeback in the third quarter (29-25) but they were still down by 18 points with only 12 minutes left on the clock. The Hawks completed the turnaround with an impressive effort on both ends of the court during the final quarter, limiting the 76ers to just 19 points in the fourth quarter while scoring 40 points of their own. It was an incredible win for the Hawks, but it was also an incredible defeat for the Sixers considering the kind of lead they had in the fourth quarter.
Joel Embiid and Seth Curry carried the 76ers in this game and both had impressive performances despite the loss -- while the star big man finished with 37 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals, while the sharpshooter guard delivered 36 points while making seven of his 12 three-point attempts. Ben Simmons only had eight points and went just 4-for-14 from the free-throw line. Tobias Harris also struggled and notched four points (2-11 FG).
Trae Young was absolutely dominant for the Hawks and finished with 39 points and seven assists while also adding three steals. John Collins had 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Clint Capela only finished with six points and eight rebounds. Danilo Gallinari had 16 points and eight boards while Lou Williams notched 15 points -- both coming off the bench.
This was a win the Hawks will probably remember for a long time, as they pulled off a massive comeback out of nowhere to claim Game 5, and now they're just 48 minutes away from moving to the Conference Finals. Such didn't seem to be the case early on, though, as the Sixers jumped out to a 38-24 lead in the first quarter and essentially controlled the game the rest of the first half, outscoring Atlanta 24-16 in the second quarter as well. The Hawks started their comeback in the third quarter (29-25) but they were still down by 18 points with only 12 minutes left on the clock. The Hawks completed the turnaround with an impressive effort on both ends of the court during the final quarter, limiting the 76ers to just 19 points in the fourth quarter while scoring 40 points of their own. It was an incredible win for the Hawks, but it was also an incredible defeat for the Sixers considering the kind of lead they had in the fourth quarter.
Joel Embiid and Seth Curry carried the 76ers in this game and both had impressive performances despite the loss -- while the star big man finished with 37 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals, while the sharpshooter guard delivered 36 points while making seven of his 12 three-point attempts. Ben Simmons only had eight points and went just 4-for-14 from the free-throw line. Tobias Harris also struggled and notched four points (2-11 FG).
Trae Young was absolutely dominant for the Hawks and finished with 39 points and seven assists while also adding three steals. John Collins had 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Clint Capela only finished with six points and eight rebounds. Danilo Gallinari had 16 points and eight boards while Lou Williams notched 15 points -- both coming off the bench.
Short-Handed Clippers Shock Jazz in Game 5, 119-111
The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz, 119-111, at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal-round series. The Clippers now lead the series, 3-2.
The Clippers (3-2) received some extremely daunting news prior to tip-off, as Kawhi Leonard was ruled out for Wednesday's contest, at minimum due to a knee injury that could keep him out a lot longer. Los Angeles knew that some of its complementary players outside of Paul George would need to step up, and it became evident they could be up to the task during a first half in which they put up 60 points and finished trailing by just five points. However, the third quarter, as it often does, changed the trajectory of the game, with the visitors outscoring Utah by a 32-18 margin. Armed with a nine-point edge heading into the final period, L.A. withstood several charges from the Jazz, including a pair that got them as close as four points, before escaping with an upset victory.
George led the way for the Clippers with 37 points, complementing them with16 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal. Marcus Morris furnished 25 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Reggie Jackson delivered 22 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals. Terance Mann totaled 13 points, two boards, two assists and two steals.
Bojan Bogdanovic paced the Jazz with 32 points, adding three rebounds. Donovan Mitchell supplied 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal. Rudy Gobert generated a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double that also includes one assist and one steal. Jordan Clarkson netted 15 points. Joe Ingles and Royce O'Neale generated matching 12-point tallies while pulling down seven and six rebounds, respectively. Ingles also added six assists.
The series shifts back to Staples Center, where the two teams reconvene for Game 6 on Friday night.
The Clippers (3-2) received some extremely daunting news prior to tip-off, as Kawhi Leonard was ruled out for Wednesday's contest, at minimum due to a knee injury that could keep him out a lot longer. Los Angeles knew that some of its complementary players outside of Paul George would need to step up, and it became evident they could be up to the task during a first half in which they put up 60 points and finished trailing by just five points. However, the third quarter, as it often does, changed the trajectory of the game, with the visitors outscoring Utah by a 32-18 margin. Armed with a nine-point edge heading into the final period, L.A. withstood several charges from the Jazz, including a pair that got them as close as four points, before escaping with an upset victory.
George led the way for the Clippers with 37 points, complementing them with16 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal. Marcus Morris furnished 25 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Reggie Jackson delivered 22 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals. Terance Mann totaled 13 points, two boards, two assists and two steals.
Bojan Bogdanovic paced the Jazz with 32 points, adding three rebounds. Donovan Mitchell supplied 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal. Rudy Gobert generated a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double that also includes one assist and one steal. Jordan Clarkson netted 15 points. Joe Ingles and Royce O'Neale generated matching 12-point tallies while pulling down seven and six rebounds, respectively. Ingles also added six assists.
The series shifts back to Staples Center, where the two teams reconvene for Game 6 on Friday night.