MANILA – Atlanta Hawks erased a 26-point deficit to notch a 109-106 win over Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday (Thursday in the Philippines) at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Trae Young anchored the offense with 39 points and seven assists, while John Collins added a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Hawks climbed to a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven series.
Danilo Gallinari tallied 16 points including three outside conversions, while Lou Williams got 15 for the Hawks, which grabbed its second consecutive come-from-behind win in the series.
Down by 26 points in the opening half, the Hawks slowly scraped the deficit in the third quarter as it fell to 69-87, before coming to within 76-87 on baskets from Gallinari and Young.
The 76ers nailed back the lead to 13, prompting Williams and Young to spearhead the Hawks’ uprising for a 105-104 lead on free throw conversions from Young.
The Hawks stretched the lead to 107-104 after a jumper from Gallinari with under a minute. Two free throws from Young secured the victory for the Hawks.
Joel Embiid scored 37 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and two steals, while Seth Curry added NBA playoffs-high 36 markers, including seven triples, for the 76ers.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Clippers bucked Kawhi Leonard’s absence to score a 119-111 Game 5 victory over Utah Jazz and took a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Leonard had been ruled out for the match after straining his anterior cruciate ligament in Game 4.
Paul George recorded a double-double of 37 points and 16 rebounds for the Clippers. Marcus Morris Sr. added 25 markers, while Reggie Jackson and Terance Mann posted 22 and 13 points, respectively.
BOX SCORE:
ATLANTA 109 – Young 39, Collins 19, Gallinari 16, Williams 15, Capela 6, Bogdanovic 6, Okongwu 6, Hill 2, Huerter 0, Snell 0.
PHILADELPHIA 106 – Embiid 37, Curry 36, Simmons 8, Korkmaz 8, Thybulle 6, Milton 5, Harris 4, Hill 2, Howard 0, Maxey 0.
QUARTERSCORES:
24-38, 40-62, 69-87, 109-106./PN
