Atlanta Hawks fans flooded into State Farm Arena Friday night hoping for a win coming off of two straight losses in Miami. The sellout crowd of 18,421 was given a show. While there was a 45 minute delay due to a suspicious package that was found approximately 30 minutes before gametime, that did not stop the crowd from filling the arena and bringing the noise.
Trae Young, who has struggled shooting from the field in the series, led the Hawks to a 111-110 win making the series 2-1. Prior to Young finished with 24 points, including a go-ahead floater to retake the lead with 4.4 seconds remaining. Jimmy Butler’s three point attempt was no good as time expired.
“I didn’t have any doubt that if I shot it I wasn’t going to make it,” Young said when asked if there was any doubt on the game-winning basket. “I was trying to make the right read. I was able to get to the basket and make my floater.”
The Hawks battled from being down as much as 16 points while allowing a 20-0 run in the third quarter. They trailed by 12 points going into the fourth quarter, as the crowd grew uneasy. The Hawks owned the fourth quarter and fought back.
The Hawks scored 34 points in the fourth quarter. Also, Young scored the last four to end the game.
“We just didn’t give up,” Trae Young said as he described his team’s resiliency to come back from being down. “We didn’t stop fighting or playing. In the NBA teams are going to make runs, it was about our time to make a run too.”
Miami point guard Kyle Lowry exited the game in the third quarter with a hamstring problem and did not return. He’ll undergo tests Saturday to determine the severity of the injury. He vowed to reporters that he’ll play in Game 4.
“I love that guy as our point guard,” Heat shooting guard Jimmy Butler said. “If he’s with us, yippee ki-yay. If he’s not, someone will step in and do his job. We’ve got enough guys in that room to make up for him.”
The Hawks are seeking to tie the series at home Sunday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
