Trae Young, Hawks overwhelm Knicks in Game 3 for 2-1 series lead
There's nothing like a home game to get back on track and regain the lead in a playoff series.
After stealing homecourt advantage from the New York Knicks with a Game 1 victory, the Atlanta Hawks now are halfway home to advancing after a 105-94 Game 3 win on Friday night, taking a 2-1 in their best-of-seven first-round series.
Let's take a look at what happened.
Key performer: Trae Young
Young has been one of the NBA's young breakout stars this postseason, playing impressively at Madison Square Garden while leaning into a role as the series villain.
Now, back home in Atlanta, Young's play didn't tail off one bit.
Young was in complete control of the game from the jump, finding the perfect balance of scoring and playmaking for others on his way to a 21-point, 14-assist night.
He has not only been the best player on the floor in the series, but the best player by a significant margin.
That did not change on Friday night.
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Turning point: Hawks' 22-3 run in the second quarter
The final score might not indicate it, but at one point this was a close game, with the Knicks even holding a 31-29 lead at the end of the first quarter.
But the Hawks were able to blow this game open on the back of a 22-3 run in the middle of the second quarter that carried them to an eventual 58-44 lead at halftime.
The Hawks outscored the Knicks 29-13 in the second quarter and effectively put the game away. Their lead grew to as many as 17 points in the second half and never fell below double digits.
Wild card: John Collins and Danilo Gallinari
The Hawks collapsed in the second half of Game 2 against the Knicks due in large part to the ineffectiveness of Young's supporting cast.
And the two Hawks who had struggled in particular were Collins and Gallinari, who scored zero and six points, respectively. In Game 3, both of them showed up to provide the scoring punch that the Hawks have come to expect from them this season.
Collins scored 14 points while Gallinari made four 3-pointers to help the Hawks' offense balance out.
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Twitter's take:
Did you know?
The Hawks have now won 12 straight home games, which is the longest active home winning streak in the NBA.
What's next:
The Knicks and Hawks will do battle in Atlanta again in Game 4 at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on ABC.
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