Trae Young’s 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left capped a 38-point performance as the Atlanta Hawks stayed alive by rallying to beat the host Boston Celtics 119-117 on Tuesday in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Young scored the final 14 points for Atlanta, which was playing without the league-suspended Dejounte Murray after he made contact with an official at the end of the previous game.
Boston now has a 3-2 lead in the series. Game 6 will be played Thursday in Atlanta.
Young added 13 assists and a pair of steals. John Collins contributed 22 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 18 to support Young.
Boston’s Jaylen Brown (35 points) posted his second straight 30-plus-point game.
Jayson Tatum had 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Derrick White added 18 points for the Celtics.
A 30-17 run over the last nine minutes of the first half and a rapid 7-0 run early in the fourth quarter seemingly put the Celtics in control, up 102-89 with nine minutes left. However, Boston was unable to close out the game, even after a Brown trey made it 109-96 with 6:10 left.
The game featured 12 lead changes, including five in the final quarter alone, and 11 ties.
Young hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cap a 12-0 Hawks run, tying the game at 111-111 with 2:42 left.
A Robert Williams III putback following an Al Horford 3-point miss swung the score back the Celtics’ way, but Young followed hitting a technical-foul free throw and two regular free throws to give the Hawks their first lead since 41-40.
Williams slammed in a dunk after a jump ball to put the Celtics back up with 115-114 with 25.1 seconds left.
Young and White traded pairs of free throws to make the score 117-116 Boston with 7.3 seconds left before Young’s game-winning shot.
Tatum missed an attempted winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Hawks led 30-27 after shooting 6-for-11 from 3-point range in the first.
Treys from Bogdanovic and Saddiq Bey helped Atlanta take a 39-34 lead early in the second.
Back-to-back Brown baskets tied the game at 41, and a 7-0 run fueled by Malcolm Brogdon and White made it 54-46 Boston with 4:57 left until halftime.
Young hit three of Atlanta’s last four field goals in the first half to keep the Hawks within 66-58 entering the break.
–Field Level Media
