Friday 37 Sports Friday, June 25, 2021 Young scores 48 to power Hawks over Bucks in NBA playoffs

WASHINGTON: Atlanta’s Trae Young scored was Milwaukee’s first home playoff loss this a career playoff high 48 points and the Hawks season. “Young’s a great player,” Budenholzer edged host Milwaukee 116-113 in Wednes- said. “He had a great night. We feel like we can day’s opening game of the NBA Eastern Con- play better.” ference finals. Young, who also contributed 11 Collins scored eight points, six on dunks, assists and seven rebounds, scored 12 points and Young added seven in a 21-8 Atlanta run in the fourth quarter to spark a rally that baf- that gave the Hawks a 79-73 lead late in the fled the Bucks. “We just keep fighting until the third quarter before the Bucks rallied. Ante- end, no matter what the score is,” Young said. tokounmpo scored six points to lead a 13-2 “That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going Bucks’ run for a 105-98 lead, but Collins hit a to keep fighting.” jumper and Young, who hit 17-of-34 shots Young had the most points by any player from the floor, added a 3-point play to lift the making his conference finals debut since the Hawks back within two points. NBA adopted the conference format 50 years The game was poised on a knife’s edge ago. The best-of-seven series continues Fri- until Collins hit a 3-pointer and Capela scored day at Milwaukee with the winner advancing on a put-back that lifted the Hawks to an NBA Finals matchup against either the ahead 112-11 with 29.8 seconds remaining. MILWAUKEE: Trae Young #11 of the high fives teammates Danilo Gallinari #8 and John Collins #20 or the . Young grabbed a loose ball and sank two during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2021 NBA Playoffs on Wednesday at the John Collins scored 23 points and grabbed 15 more free throws, then he and Antetokoun- Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. —AFP rebounds while Clint Capela had 12 points and mpo exchanged free throws in the final sec- 19 rebounds. “People overlook this team, take onds to create the final margin. There more than 16,000 spectators in the The Bucks lost to Toronto in the 2019 con- us for granted, so for us to come out here and , who went 0-of-9 from 3- Bucks’ arena and about as many outside ference finals and to Miami in last year’s con- get a win is big time,” Collins said. point range, missed an attempt to lift the watching on a huge screen. The Hawks, who ference semi-finals, with Antetokounmpo Greek star big man Giannis Antetokoun- Bucks level from beyond the arc in the final had lost their seven prior games in Milwaukee winning the NBA Most Valuable Player award mpo had 34 points, 12 rebounds and nine as- seconds to seal Atlanta’s victory. “I believe in since 2016, were based in Milwaukee for four both seasons. The Bucks have not reached the sists while had 33 points and 10 this team,” Young said. “We knew we could seasons in the 1950s. They won their only NBA Finals since 1974, when they lost to assists for the Bucks in a losing cause. “We’ll get a stop. We just buckled down and got it. NBA title in 1958 while based in St. Louis. Boston in seven games. The Bucks won their get better,” Bucks coach Our confidence never goes away. We put too They last reached the NBA Finals in 1961 only NBA title in 1971 when they swept Balti- said. “We’ll get smarter game after game.” It much work in to stop believing in each other.” when based in St. Louis. more in the finals. —AFP Durant to lead new Islanders beat Lightning to US set of NBA stars force NHL playoff showdown at Olympics: Report NEW YORK: Anthony Beauvillier scored 68 seconds into overtime Wednesday and the New York Islanders forced a winner-take-all NEW YORK: forward Kevin Durant will showdown for Stanley Cup Final berth by defeating defending cham- compete for a third Olympic title in Tokyo alongside a new pion Tampa Bay 3-2. The victory deadlocked the best-of-seven series group of NBA stars seeking gold, according to an ESPN 3-3 and set up a seventh game Friday at Tampa. The winner will face report Wednesday. A story on the US-based sports televi- either the Montreal Canadiens or the Vegas Golden Knights in the sion network’s website said Durant, whose team was elim- Stanley Cup Final. Tampa Bay center Brayden Point stretched his inated by Milwaukee in the second round of the NBA playoff scoring streak to nine consecutive games, one shy of the NHL playoffs, will be the only player returning from the 2016 Rio record, on a chip-in backhander from just outside the crease to open champions. the scoring with 3:58 to play in the first period. Point moved one shy USA finalized its roster on Wednesday with of the playoff goal streak record of 10 games set by Reggie Leach of commitments from Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine and the Philadelphia Flyers in 1976. forward Jerami Grant, according to the It was Point’s 14th goal of the playoffs, matching his league-best total from last year’s title run. The 25-year-old Canadian joined NHL story. Nets star guard James Harden was forced to skip the legends Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux as the only players with Olympics due to a hamstring injury, USA Basketball man- back-to-back playoff runs of 12 or more goals. aging director Jerry Colangelo told ESPN. Those making Point also matched Buffalo’s Pat LaFontaine from 1992 as the only their Olympic debut will include Portland’s , NEW YORK: In this file photo taken on June 19, 2021 Kevin Durant #7 of the players to score in each of the first six games of a playoff series. Tampa Washington’s , Miami’s Bam Adebayo, Boston’s Brooklyn Nets grabs the loose ball as Jrue Holiday #21 of the Bay’s Anthony Cirelli, who assisted on Point’s goal, gave the Lightning Jayson Tatum and Golden State’s . defends in the first half during game seven of the Eastern Conference second a 2-0 edge 12:36 into the second period on a breakaway goal, firing The lineup reportedly also includes Cleveland forward round at Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. —AFP the puck between the legs of Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov. Kevin Love, who helped the US to gold in London in 2012. New York answered 1:46 later on a backhand goal from Jordan Three other players on the reported roster remain in the Colangelo told ESPN that all three have agreed to fly Eberle that lifted the hosts within 2-1. Before the Lightning could man- NBA playoffs — Phoenix swingman Devin Booker and Mil- to Japan by private plane in order to be in Tokyo when age a shot on goal in the third period, the Islanders had netted an waukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton and guard Jrue the Americans play their Olympic opener against France equalizer, Scott Mayfield scoring the unassisted goal high into the near Holiday. All three could battle for an NBA title as late as on July 25. The American Olympic squad will gather in upper corner 11:16 into the third to lift the hosts level at 2-2, setting July 22, the date of a possible NBA Finals game seven as the stage for overtime and Beauvillier’s winner. —AFP Las Vegas on July 4 to begin a training camp and play ex- well as the eve of the Olympic opening ceremonies. hibition games before departing for Japan. —AFP