National Basketball Association

Top moments: Hawks stun 76ers; Clippers topple Jazz in Game 5s

Updated Jun. 17, 2021 1:10 a.m. ET

Wednesday was a whirlwind in the NBA, and that was before the games even started.

Injuries and coaching changes sent shockwaves through the league as a pair of pivotal Game 5s were slated for the evening.

First, Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks pulled off an epic comeback against Joel Embiid & Co. in a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Mustering just 19 points in the fourth quarter, the Sixers blew a 26-point lead to give Atlanta a critical 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinals series.

Naturally, that outcome drew a lot of attention from the NBA world.

Young finished with 39 points to lead all scorers, a playoff career high for the 22-year-old phenom. Meanwhile, Embiid dropped 37 and Seth Curry had 36 for the Sixers, but it all went up in smoke in the fourth quarter of the 109-106 loss.

Over in the Western Conference, the evening wrapped with the Kawhi Leonard-less LA Clippers taking the series edge over the West's No. 1 seed in the Utah Jazz.

Paul George balled out with 37 points and 16 boards to seize control of the series against the Jazz, leaving Utah with a 119-111 win.

Here are the top moments from Wednesday's pair of Game 5s:

Atlanta Hawks 109, Philadelphia 76ers 106

After going 0-for-12 from the field to finish out Philly's loss in Game 4, Embiid came out dialed in to start Game 5.

The big fella hit his first eight shots as the Sixers and Hawks traded blows offensively in the opening minutes of an end-to-end game.

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And Embiid added a big-time swat on the other end, to boot, wiping away a would-be layup from Clint Capela.

The rest of the Sixers also chipped in from distance, hitting 5-of-8 on 3s in the first quarter to take a 38-24 lead heading into the second.

Shots kept dropping for the Sixers in the second quarter, while the Hawks struggled to keep up.

Even when the Hawks played solid defense, the Sixers typically found the bottom of the net.

In an effort to stall the Sixers' offense, the Hawks employed the "Hack-A-Ben" strategy prior to halftime, much to the chagrin of the Philly faithful.

Ben Simmons went to the free-throw line eight times in the first half, hitting two of his attempts. Atlanta's ploy didn't make too much of an impact, however, as the Hawks couldn't get much of anything going on offense.

As a team, the Hawks shot 31.0% from the field and 25% from distance in the first half. Meanwhile, the Sixers shot 53.5% from the field and 47.1% from 3 to carry a 62-40 lead into halftime.

With Bogdan Bogdanovic picking up his fourth and fifth fouls, things continued looking bleak for the Hawks in the third quarter.

A key scorer for the Hawks this series, Bogdanovic had just six points for the game before taking a seat with five fouls.

On the other end, Seth Curry was electric for the Sixers with 14 points in the quarter.

The good news for the Hawks? They won the third quarter 29-25. The bad news? They still trailed 87-69 heading into the final frame.

However, the Hawks kept the heat on in the early going of the unforgettable fourth quarter.

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And a flurry from the Hawks made proceedings interesting, as Lou Williams caught fire and Atlanta trimmed the deficit to two points with just more than two minutes left in regulation.

Then, at the 1:26 mark, Atlanta took a one-point lead ⁠— the team's first of the game ⁠— courtesy of a trio of free throws from Young.

As Philadelphia went ice cold from the field, including two critical missed free throws from Embiid, the Hawks snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a scintillating finish.

With a 109-106 final score, the never-say-die Hawks took a 3-2 series lead with the series heading back to Atlanta.

LA Clippers 119, Utah Jazz 111

The fireworks started early for both the Clippers and Jazz, with both teams converting on the offensive end.

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In fact, the Jazz went a whopping 10-for-16 from distance in the opening 12 minutes, with Bojan Bogdanovic shooting an unconscious 6-for-7 on triples.

Bogdanovic's six 3-pointers tied a postseason record for long-range efforts made in a quarter.

The Clippers didn't back down, though, hitting 62.5% of their eight attempts from beyond the arc.

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Paul George and Marcus Morris Sr. led the way for LA in the first quarter with 10 points apiece, as the sensational opening frame ended 37-36 in favor of the Jazz.

The 3-point barrage didn't stop in the second quarter, either, with the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, Jordan Clarkson, getting in on the act for the Jazz.

Midway through the second quarter, it looked as though the Jazz might pull away with a lead that ballooned all the way up to 10 points.

However, some crafty offense from "Playoff P" ⁠— who finished the first half with 22 points ⁠— kept the Clippers within striking distance when the teams hit the locker room for halftime.

After two quarters, this massive matchup was 65-60 in favor of the hosts.

The sharpshooting Jazz, including Bogdanovic, cooled off with just 18 points scored in the third quarter. After starting the game 17-for-30 from distance as a team in the first half, Utah went 0-for-10 in the third quarter.

George's hand remained hot after the break, however. The 31-year-old star pushed his point total up to 30 midway through the third and the Clippers took a 92-83 lead into the final quarter of the game.

Midway through the fourth, things really perked up for the Jazz to the tune of seven points in less than a minute to cut LA's lead to 100-97.

But Reggie Jackson, aka "Mr. June," hit a pair of buckets to push the lead back out to 105-97.

And with Utah keeping the pressure on, Terance Mann threw down a must-see poster on Jazz center Rudy Gobert.

With the game in the balance, the Clippers put the ball in their star player's hands and let George go to work.

After the Jazz played the free-throw game to try and extend the game, ultimately the Clippers prevailed 119-111 for their first win in Utah since April 28th, 2017.

George finished with game-highs in both points (37) and rebounds (16) as this series shifts back to Los Angeles, where the Clippers can close things out in Game 6.

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