The Hawks are going home. And they’re bringing the Celtics with them.
Atlanta came back from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 119-117 after Trae Young hit a three with 1.8 seconds remaining to extend the series to a sixth game.
Young played 44 minutes and was 14-of-33 (5-of-13 from three) from the field for 38 points while adding 13 assists. After Tuesday’s game, he’s averaging 29 points per game in this first-round series.
John Collins added 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists on 6-of-9 from the field and made all three of his free-throw attempts.
Game 6 is on Thursday.
What looked like a potential sweep for Boston has become much more compelling than the Celtics would have liked. That’s great news for the Philadelphia 76ers, the team awaiting the winner of Hawks-Celtics.
Center Joel Embiid (knee) missed Philly’s close-out Game 4 win at Brooklyn on Saturday, and any extra rest he can get would be welcome for the organization.
Whether the Hawks only delayed the inevitable by escaping with a Game 5 win remains to be seen. Per OddsChecker, Boston (+225) is still the favorite to win the championship. But thanks to their Game 5 collapse, the Celtics still have work to do just to get out of the first round.
