NBA playoff tracker: Trae Young and Hawks dominate Knicks to take 2-1 lead

© Provided by Yahoo! Sports Trae Young’s return to Atlanta was a fun one. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

The Atlanta Hawks’ first playoff home game since 2017 went as Trae Young promised.

Behind another impressive performance from the All-Star point guard, the Hawks defeated the New York Knicks 105-94 in Game 3 on Friday to take a 2-1 series lead in the first round. 

Young had promised the Knicks and their raucous fans would “See you in the A” after a Game 2 loss, and he followed through with 21 points and 14 assists, the latter mark a playoff career high.

The first half of the game saw 10 different lead changes, but finally swung to the Hawks’ advantage midway through the second quarter. Atlanta closed the first half on a 22-5 run, with Young’s passing carving up the Knicks’ defense.

The second half ended up being more of the same, with the Knicks never cutting the lead to below double digits.

As strong a night as it was for Young, it was that bad for Knicks star Julius Randle. The 2021 Most Improved Player winner shot a miserable 2-of-15 from the field for 14 points. Derrick Rose picked up plenty of slack with 30 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, but it wasn’t close to enough.

All of that added up to the most one-sided game in one of the most entertaining series of the NBA playoffs so far, and the Hawks are now in position to take a commanding lead in Game 4. A win would give them a 3-1 lead with a chance to end the series in Madison Square Garden, something that Young would surely relish at this point.

Game 4 is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in Atlanta.

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