Around the NBA: Hawks Stay Alive While Nuggets and Suns Advance

Three NBA teams fought with their backs against the wall Tuesday evening, down 3-1 in their respective series’.

Only the Hawks were able to keep their heads above water. The two Western Conference teams, the Timberwolves and the Clippers, succumbed to their higher-seeded opponents.

MOOD pic.twitter.com/vF2oajOO4i

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 26, 2023

Hawks Flying Back to “the A”

It took every point of a resounding performance from point guard Trae Young for the Hawks to win Tuesday night’s battle.

Entering the game, many NBA fans had already counted Atlanta out. They were down 3-1 in the series, and they were playing in front of one of the most hostile road crowds around the association.

However, as we’ve learned many times up to this point, Trae Young loves to be the villain on the road.

He dropped a 38-point double-double with 13 dimes. He also hit the most clutch shot of the game: a 30-foot deep three in the final five seconds of regulation to put Atlanta up two.

WHO ELSE pic.twitter.com/SO7yyxZ0jw

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 26, 2023

They call him Ice Trae for a reason.

Despite the loss, Boston shooting guard Jaylen Brown had another impressive outing, leading Boston with 35 points on 65% shooting.

Game six will be back in Atlanta Thursday night.

Murray and Jokic Quiet the Wolves’ Howls

Although star guard Anthony Edwards had a 29-7-8 stat line, Minnesota could not drum up enough support to force a game six.

https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/1651074100088156168?s=20

The Wolves are living proof that everyone can do his job in a game, and the team can still lose. Edwards scored relatively well, Rudy Gobert had a good night on the glass and Mike Conley nearly had double digits in the assist column.

The offense just didn’t have the spark that was required to overpower Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.

Murray dropped 35 points, and Jokic made an incredible difference on the offensive boards, grabbing nine offensive rebounds.

https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1651050148955566080?s=20

Book Closes on the Clippers’ Season

The Los Angeles Clippers played game five without their two cornerstone players, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. A 136-130 defeat was a slimmer margin than many fans were expecting.

Without their stars, a few lesser-known Clippers stepped up to make the game close. Guard Norman Powell lead the team with 27 points, and the team’s big men played very efficiently.

https://twitter.com/LAClippers/status/1651081693695029248?s=20

However, that’s not be enough to staunch the bleeding from red-hot Suns shooter Devin Booker. Booker had 47 points and 10 dimes to force Phoenix to the next round.

Upcoming Schedule

Wednesday night is home to a four-game NBA slate. Three of the four games will also be played in a current 3-1 series.

NY Knicks @ Cleveland Cavaliers (NYK lead 3-1)

LA Lakers @ Memphis Grizzlies (LAL lead 3-1)

Miami Heat @ Milwaukee Bucks (MIA leads 3-1)

Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings (Series tied 2-2)