Trae Young became just the fifth player ever to average 25 points and 10 assists through his first 3 career playoff games.
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The Atlanta Hawks took control of their best of seven series against the New York Knicks on Friday by coming away with a 105-94 win in the NBA play-offs to take a 2-1 lead. Trae Young was magnificent again for Atlanta as he finished the night with 21 points and a game-high 14 assists to lead the charge for the Hawks on the offensive end.
On the other end, New York’s All-Star, Julius Randle, struggled mightily again, finishing with just 14 points while shooting 2 of 15 from the field. His ineffectiveness made Derrick Rose’s performance, a game-high 30 points, less impactful than it otherwise would have been.
He is one of the NBA’s best passers and a terrific scorer. Both these skills have been on full display in this series. Young has been manufacturing his own offense while also setting up his teammates at a high level, and he made some league history as a result. With his production, Young became just the fifth player ever to average 25 points and 10 assists through his first 3 career NBA play-offs games.
Perhaps you’ve heard about the rest four: Kevin Johnson, Chris Paul, Stephen Curry and Oscar Robertson. Not bad company for Young, who has quickly proven that he’s not afraid of the big stage. He also became just the sixth player ever to compile more than 30 assists in his first three playoff games. His passing in Game 3 was a thing of beauty as he consistently generated opportunities for his teammates, both at the rim and beyond the arc.
Julius Randle is the NBA’s Most Improved Player, but you wouldn’t know it from watching the series against the Hawks. Randle has struggled immensely against the Atlanta’s defense. His inability to produce points is a huge part of the reason that the Knicks are down 2-1. In Game 3, Randle had his worst game of the series so far. He finished with a paltry 14 points shooting 2 for 15.
If there was a bright spot for the Knicks in this one, it would be Derrick Rose. Rose was inserted into the starting lineup in place of Elfrid Payton, and he made the most of the opportunity. Rose played a team-high 39 minutes, and he led the Knicks with 30 points on 13 of 21 shooting from the floor. Randle was the second-highest scoring Knicks player with 14 points. Rose also added six rebounds and five assists.
If Rose had some help from Randle and R.J. Barrett in Game 3, the Knicks might have been able to pull out a win.
