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Trae Young stars as Hawks beat Knicks to reach NBA Cup semis

AP photo by Frank Franklin II / Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives past the New York Knicks' Josh Hart during the first half of their NBA Cup semifinal Wednesday night in New York.
AP photo by Frank Franklin II / Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives past the New York Knicks' Josh Hart during the first half of their NBA Cup semifinal Wednesday night in New York. AP photo by Frank Franklin II / Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives past the New York Knicks' Josh Hart during the first half of their NBA Cup semifinal Wednesday night in New York.

By BRIAN MAHONEY / The Associated Press 3 min read

NEW YORK — Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young was dribbling out the clock Wednesday night when he leaned down toward the New York Knicks’ center-court logo and pretended he was shooting dice.

“We’re going to Vegas,” Young said, “so that’s what I had to.”

When he’s at Madison Square Garden, Young always seems to be a safe bet.

The court was orange this time, but otherwise it looked and felt like the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. The higher-seeded Knicks had just been eliminated, and Young was celebrating in the middle of their arena.

Young, a three-time NBA All-Star, had 22 points and 11 assists Wednesday while leading the Hawks to a 108-100 victory in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. They will head to Las Vegas to play the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.