Hawks claw way into fight vs Heat

LOS ANGELES – Trae Young delivered the game-winner for Atlanta in a 111-110 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday as the Hawks clawed their way back into their NBA playoff first-round series.

The Hawks cut the deficit in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series to 2-1.

The reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks grabbed a 2-1 series lead with a 111-81 rout of the Chicago Bulls, and the Phoenix Suns took a 2-1 series lead with a 114-111 victory over the Pelicans in New Orleans.

In Atlanta, PJ Tucker’s three-pointer with less than a minute to play had put the Heat up 110-109 as the clash in Atlanta came down to the frantic final minutes.

With 5.5 seconds remaining Young drove the lane and floated in the basket that proved the difference, with Miami star Jimmy Butler watching his contested three-point effort at the buzzer bounce off the rim.

“I just wanted to try to get to the basket,” said Young, who scored 24 points to lead six Hawks players in double figures.