A Trae Young Game-Winner Gave The Hawks A Much-Needed Game 3 Win Over The Heat

The Atlanta Hawks are back in their series with the Miami Heat. Despite being on the wrong end of a 21-0 run in the third quarter and falling behind by double-digits, a productive fourth quarter and a game-winning floater by Trae Young with 5.5 seconds remaining gave the Hawks a 111-110 win. As a result, the Heat’s series lead has been cut in half, as they now find themselves up on Atlanta, 2-1.

While Jimmy Butler had a rollicking start and Young struggled to score in the opening 12 minutes, Miami only led by two points at the end of the first quarter. Butler, to his credit, was magnificent to start the game, going for 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

Thanks to a 10-0 run in the second quarter, Atlanta was able to take a lead into a locker room. The team played with the swagger that it put on display during their magical run to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, making Miami face its biggest deficit of the series as Young found a rhythm and both Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic started to impose themselves on the game.

While Tyler Herro took 15 points into the locker room, Atlanta led, 61-54, thanks to 11 points from Gallinari; Young going for 10 points, five assists, and four rebounds; and Bogdanovic stuffing the stat sheet with nine pints, six assists, three rebounds, two steals, and a block.

And then, the avalanche came from Miami. Halfway through the third frame, the Heat were able to tie things up at 68 thanks to a triple by Kyle Lowry.

They just poured it on from there, looking like they were going to blow the doors off of the Hawks and take a 3-0 series lead in the process. Miami ripped off 21 unanswered points to open up a 16-point lead, with both Herro and Max Strus having 17 at the end of the quarter.

But as it turned out, the Hawks were able to settle things down and go on a 9-1 run to end the quarter and get the deficit down to eight, making the hill they had to climb in the fourth far more manageable.

Atlanta kept chipping away to start the fourth quarter, and slowly but surely, they made Miami’s lead evaporate, with Young tying things up at the free throw line.

Strus canned a three on the ensuing possession, only for Young to come back down, launch one from the logo, and have it go in.

The two teams kept trading baskets, and with less than a minute left, Butler found Tucker in the corner for three that briefly took the air out of the building.

Kevin Huerter couldn’t make a go-ahead basket on Atlanta’s next possession, while Butler missed a pull-up that could have put the game out of reach. Young got the ball off of a Bogdanovic rebound, pushed it up the court, and darted to the rim instead of taking a timeout. That decision ended up winning the Hawks the game, as Young busted out one of his patented floaters.

Young led the way for Atlanta with 24 points and eight assists, while Bogdanovic had 18 with eight rebounds and six assists off the bench and De’Andre Hunter pitched in 17. For Miami, Herro’s 24 points, seven rebounds, and four assists led the way off the bench, while Strus scored 20 and Butler had 20 with 10 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and a block.

Game 4 between the Hawks and the Heat will take place in Atlanta on Sunday evening at 7 p.m. ET on TNT.