Despite losing center-back Clint Capella to injury in the first half of Friday’s game, the Atlanta Hawks came behind Trey Young’s second-half save of the season to beat the Cavaliers 107-101 in Cleveland.
The Hawks are advancing to face the Miami Heat, the best team in the Eastern Conference, in a series of first-round playoffs that begin Sunday in Miami.
Young, the Hawks’ all-star general, won his team with 38 points, including 30 in the second half and 15 in the fourth quarter alone.
Young shot 4 of 11 from a distance of 3 points and made several counterattacks that helped the Hawks keep their lead late. He added nine assists.
The Hawks took their first lead at the end of the third quarter after three points from Young, who scored 16 points in the fourth, helping his team overcome the 14-point deficit.
The Cavaliers jumped to a double-digit lead in the first quarter after a 3-point hot shot by Lauri Markanen, who scored 17 points in the first half and sank 5 of 8 from the 3-point range before the intermission. Markanen led the Cavaliers with 26 points and Darius Garland added 21.
Cavaliers All Star center Jarrett Allen has returned to the starting lineup after missing 19 games with a broken finger on his left side. Alan had not played since March 6, but finished with 11 points and three rebounds.
The Hawks lost Capella in the first half when Cavaliers center Evan Mobley fell against Capella’s knee. Capella had to get help off the court with what the Hawks later called the hyperextension right knee. Its availability against the heat is unclear.
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