Atlanta Hawks rally from 26 points down to stun Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5
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Joel Embiid left his disastrous 0-for-12 shooting in the second half of Game 4 in Atlanta.
However, the Sixers brought their collapse back home to Philadelphia.
After blowing an 18-point lead and dropping Game 4, Philadelphia frittered away a 26-point, third-quarter lead and lost Game 5.
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The never-say-die Hawks defeated the Sixers 109-106 on Wednesday and took a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals series.
It was an improbable loss for Philadelphia and an improbable win for Atlanta.
Atlanta can close out the series in Game 6 on Friday at home (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Hawks have not reached the conference finals since 2015 when they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The winner of Game 5 in a 2-2 series has won the series 82% of the time.
The Hawks overcame 37 points and 13 rebounds from Embiid and a playoff career-high 36 points from Seth Curry.
When the Sixers took a 70-46 lead in the third quarter, it looked like they were headed for the 3-2 series lead. The comeback began with a John Collins 3-pointer and the Hawks outscored the Sixers 63-36 in the final 20 minutes and 31 seconds.
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Trae Young led the Hawks with 39 points and seven assists. Collins had 19 points, and veteran sixth man Lou Williams added 15 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Danilo Gallinari had 16 points.
Young scored 13 points in the fourth quarter – all coming in the final 4:30 of the quarter. He was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 1:26 to go. He made all three, putting the Hawks ahead 105-104. It was Atlanta’s first lead of the game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Atlanta Hawks rally from 26 points down to stun Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5