On the morning of April 14, 2022, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs began, and the Hornets hosted the Atlanta Hawks. As a result, the Eagles dominated the rebound, defeating the Hornets 32-23, 28-29, 42-24, 30-27 on aggregate, 132-103, and successfully advanced to the next round of the playoffs. Trey took 24 points, 2 points less than Ball of the Hornets, but profited from the MVP for his excellent performance throughout the game. The Hawks are the winners of the first round of the playoffs and will compete with the Cavaliers for a playoff spot.
In the regular season, the Hawks are 9th in the East and the Hornets are 10th in the East. The level of both teams is similar, from the historical record, the Eagles have been at a disadvantage in the past two seasons, and in the last three meetings, the Eagles have lost 2 and won 1. The most recent encounter occurred on March 17, when the Hornets beat the Hawks 116-106 away.
After the game began, the Huang Feng team took advantage of the home momentum, especially Ramello Ball, and was very strong at the beginning. But that only lasted for more than two minutes, and as the Hawks stepped up their defense against Ball, especially limiting his connection with Martin, including Trae Young's brilliant play, the Hawks took the lead after a counter-score. The final half ended with the Hawks ending the first half 60-52.
In the second half, Trae Young had a small outburst, scoring 42-24 in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Hornets' shooting percentage dropped significantly, taking the three-point shot as an example, with 3 minutes left in the game, the Eagles shot 12 of 27 three-pointers, while the Hornets also shot 12 three-pointers, but shot 37 times.
Cody Martin's play had a big impact on the Hornets' overall form, scoring just two points in addition to grabbing six rebounds and one assist. In the end, the Hawks beat the Hornets 132-103 to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
The competition in the playoff playoffs is still very fierce, and after the Eagles beat the Hornets, there is no guarantee that they will enter the playoffs, they need to meet their next opponent. The Cavaliers eliminated the Bucks 133-115 yesterday, and judging from the recent games, the Hawks have narrowly beaten the Cavaliers 121-118 and 124-116 in the last two meetings. Therefore, although there are two consecutive wins, the relationship between winning and losing is a difference of one thought.
Judging from past games, the Hawks' Trae Young has played well in the last two games against the Cavaliers, the last of which was on April 1, when Trae Young scored 30 points. So for the Cavaliers, how to limit Trae Young's play will be a decisive factor in whether they can enter the playoffs as they wish.
It is worth mentioning that Trae Young continues to set his own 2 big records in this game. First, he scored the league's top leading score this season with 2,179 points in the league; second, his assist stats rose to 748, making him the NBA league's assist king this season.