NBA Playoffs 2021: Trae Young's historic 25-18 double-double leads Hawks to series-tying Game 4 win

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Yash Matange
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This series is not done. The Hawks battled back from an 18-point first-half deficit to win Game 4, 103-100 to tie the series at 2-2.

After allowing 62 points in the first half, they clamped down on defence and outscored the 76ers by 16 in the second half by holding them to just 38 second-half points.

All five starters scored in double figures for Atlanta led by Trae Young's huge double-double of 25 points and 18 assists. On the other hand, Joel Embiid had a sub-par game by his standards. Despite pulling down a playoff career-high 21 rebounds, he only managed four points in the second half, finishing with 17 for the game.

Here's a quick look at the key takeaways from Game 4:

Young's historic game

Young was setting up his teammates from the get-go. His performance is the first 20-point, 15-assist game in playoff franchise history  and only the third player after Chris Paul and Isiah Thomas to achieve this before turning 23.

His 18 assists are a playoff career-high and tied for the most in his career overall. 

He scored the final six points, including four clutch free-throws to ice it and was responsible for every one of the Hawks 15 points after he subbed-in at the 8:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter.

Collins hustle & Embiid's struggles

Bogdan Bogdan was the game's highest scorer after Young with 22 but in the second half, John Collins' energy and play made a huge difference. 

He scored 10 of his 14 in the second half with seven of those 10 coming in the third quarter when the Hawks outscored the 76ers 31-20. 

He grabbed 12 rebounds, recorded a game-high plus-minus of +9 and knocked down his lone 3-pointer of the game in the final minutes

While Collins' spectacular second half was a spark for the Hawks, it was a forgettable 18-minute second half for Embiid. 

He went from scoring 13 in the first half on 4-of-8 shooting to just four in the second half with all of those coming from the free-throw line. Three of his four turnovers came in the second half as he went from recording a +16 in the first half to a net-zero for the game.

Big 2nd quarter by Philadelphia

After the big run to end the first, the 76ers rode that momentum into a huge second quarter.

They outscored the Hawks 34-29, which included a 27-12 run that helped the 76ers hold their largest lead of the game of 18 (60-42).

Embiid alone scored 11 of the 34, Simmons recorded four and a couple of assists while the duo of Curry and Harris combined for 11. 

Young, Hawks start hot but 76ers respond big

In a 'must-win' game, the Hawks were sparked early by Trae Young. In the first 3:30 minutes of the game, he assisted on the team's first four buckets. 

Two alley-oops to Clint Capela and two dishes to Bogdan Bogdanovic for 3-pointers had the Hawks up 10-4 very early. 

After the hot start, where the Hawks were supported by their loud crowd, the visiting 76ers responded by slowly but steadily taking over the game. In fact, for the rest of the first period, Philadelphia dominated by going on a 24-10 run which included a 15-2 spurt. 

The visitors pulled off that run with Joel Embiid contributing just two points as Seth Curry poured in eight, Tobias Harris chipped in with six while Simmons dished out four assists.

What's next? 

This victory helps the Hawks tie up the series 2-2 and now make this Conference Semifinals a 'best-of-3' with Game 5 scheduled for Thursday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

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Yash Matange Photo
Yash Matange

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