MILWAUKEE – Trae Young remains as poised as ever in hostile environments in his first foray into the NBA playoffs.
Young scored 48 points, Clint Capela made a go-ahead putback basket with 29.8 seconds left and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 116-113 on Wednesday night to open the Eastern Conference title series.
The fifth-seeded Hawks improved to 6-2 in road playoff games this year and handed the third-seeded Bucks their first home loss of the postseason. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in Milwaukee.
“Ever since I was in middle school, when I was going on the road in middle school, I always loved playing on the road,” said the 22-year-old Young, who was two points off his NBA career high. “I loved playing against an opposing crowd, an opposing team. It feels like you’re really with your team, and it’s just them in the building. I think that really brings our group together.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for the Bucks, while Jrue Holiday added 33 points and 10 assists.