CLEVELAND – When the final horn sounded and Trae Young’s work was done Friday night, the Atlanta Hawks’ All-Star point guard slammed the ball off the floor, sending it spinning skyward. He then turned and waved goodbye to the Cleveland Cavaliers fans retreating to the exits.
So cold. Ice Trae stings again.
Young scored 32 of his 38 points in the second half as the Hawks overcame losing center Clint Capela to a knee injury to beat the Cavs 107-101 in a play-in game Friday night and earn the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed for the NBA playoffs.
Young started slowly for the second straight game, but the prolific scorer with the chilly nickname – because his ability to take over games with one of the NBA’s deadliest shooting strokes – heated up when it mattered most.
“He made shots from the jump circle,” marveled Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff.