Hawks clinch 8th seed behind 30-point nights from Trae Young, Caris LeVert

“We put ourselves in a better position than we did last year,” Hawks guard Trae Young said. “So, that’s growth, and even though we had some young guys, we didn’t stop playing. And even though we’ve had some injuries from key pieces to our team, we just kept playing, kept battling.”

Here are five observations.

1. With business to take care of, Young went to work, recording his 91st career game with at least 30 points and 10 assists. He got to his spots early, pulling the 76ers defenders on his back, especially when the offense stagnated.

He made six 3s with the swagger after he shot his fourth and turned around before it found bottom of the net.

He scored 36 points and dished 11 assists, making 10 of his 22 overall shot attempts.

“Tonight, I think more in the second half, I was more aggressive and finding my spots,” Young said.

2. When it wasn’t Young attacking the basket, Hawks veteran Caris LeVert pressured the Sixers’ defense, making 12 of 15 field goals.

“I think I have my best games when I started off with layups and free throws, kind of just building my confidence as the game went on, and I just felt good,” LeVert said.

The 30-year-old has seized his opportunity with the Hawks, who have valued his skills as a playmaker.

“I think the opportunity is there,” LeVert said. “Obviously, we have a really good team, but I think my skill set fits in really well with the team, especially next to Trae.”

3. With Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu in foul trouble, sophomore big Mouhamed Gueye handled key minutes at backup center. Gueye played a career-high 33 minutes, switching between power forward and center and finishing with the second double-double of his career. He scored 10 points and had a career-high 18 rebounds, as well as two assists, one block and three steals.

“I mean, just going out there and competing, no matter who we play or what we play for,” Gueye said. “And I was really not trying to get 20 (rebounds). I was just trying to help the team win, however it goes.”

Gueye ran the floor hard and got back into position to cut off the 76ers’ attempts at the basket and forced them to make extra passes. It helped the Hawks on the offensive end, giving them a viable option inside to score or space on the perimeter.

“His minutes were huge with O in foul trouble and for him to rebound the way he did,” Snyder said. “They went big late, and we decided to go big as well. And he really played well.”

4. After 74 games played this season, Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher has now competed in every single NBA arena. It’s the 31st arena the 20-year-old has played in since the NBA Cup semifinal at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last December.

“There’s a lot of amazing arenas in the NBA,” Risacher said. “If I had to pick one (favorite), I would probably say MSG (Madison Square Garden). That was the most fun experience, and we won. And yeah, I just feel like there’s so much history in there. It’s a lot of fun. Fans are crazy too. So, it reminds me a little bit of Europe, so it was cool.”

His 74 games are the sixth fastest to 31 arenas played in NBA history behind Marcus Camby (65), Zan Tabak (66), Chris Paul (69), Larry Robinson (72) and Randy Livingston (73).

5. The Hawks have secured the eighth seed after winning Friday’s win over the 76ers. Now they know they’ll face the Magic in for the first Play-In Game on Tuesday night, where a win would book their ticket to the playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed.

Stat to know

All four of Caris LeVert’s top-scoring games this season have occurred since the Hawks acquired him at the trade deadline.

Quotable

“Obviously, you want to get into the playoffs, right? You want to get there. But your mindset has to be ‘we have to take care of business first.’ We haven’t made it there, we haven’t made it to the playoffs yet.” — Trae Young on the Hawks’ mentality heading into the play-in tournament.

Up next

The Hawks wrap the regular season when they host the Magic at 1 p.m. Sunday at State Farm Arena.