Hawks survive ice-cold Trae Young, stun 76ers in Game 7 to advance to conference finals

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 20: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks guards Furkan Korkmaz #30 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Wells Fargo Center on June 20, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

It wasn’t pretty.

But the Atlanta Hawks got the job done on Sunday, disposing of the Philadelphia 76ers, 103-96 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. With the win, the Hawks secured their second straight series upset to earn an unlikely berth in the Eastern Conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks.

They did so on Trae Young’s worst shooting night of the playoffs. But Atlanta leaned on Kevin Huerter on offense and flustered 76ers players in a grind of a game that saw the 76ers struggle to generate offense. 

While Young failed throughout the game to connect from the field, he hit a big 3-pointer in the game’s final minutes and made critical free throws down the stretch as the 76ers were forced to foul. Huerter led the Hawks effort with 27 points and seven rebounds while connecting on 10-of-18 shots from the field. Young finished with 21 points and 10 assists on a 5-of-23 shooting night that saw him connect on just 2-of-11 3-point attempts. Ten of his 21 points arrived in the final quarter

For Philadelphia, it’s another agonizing playoff exit falling well short of the expectations of a No. 1 seed. The 76ers left the home floor of the Wells Fargo to a chorus of boos from a frustrated Philadelphia fanbase.

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