UNDATED (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks withstood a huge run by the Miami Heat to get within two games to one in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Trae Young hit a floater in the lane with 4.4 seconds left and the Hawks rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat the top-seeded Heat, 111-110. The Hawks led 68-63 in the third quarter until P.J. Tucker provided eight points in a 21-0 run. Atlanta regrouped to outscore the Heat, 34-25 in the final period.
Young led the Hawks with 24 points and had eight assists, while Bogdan Bogdanovic added 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Tyler Herro delivered 24 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Jimmy Butler and Max Strus each added 20.
Game 4 is Sunday in Atlanta.
Also in the NBA playoffs, the Bucks led by 18 in the first quarter and held the Bulls to 41 points in the first half of any easy 111-81 win at Chicago, giving Milwaukee a two-games-to-one lead.
Grayson Allen drained five 3-pointers and had a team-high 22 points for the Bucks, who were missing All-Star Khris Middleton. Bobby Portis provided 18 points and 16 rebounds, while Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed 18 points. The Greek Freak also had nine assists and seven boards.
Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan finished with just 11 points after setting a career playoff high with 41 in Game 2.
Game 4 is Sunday in Chicago.
The Suns overcame Devin Booker’s absence to beat the Pelicans, 114-111 and take a two-games-to-one lead in the series.
Chris Paul scored 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter. Paul hit eight straight Phoenix points to give his team a 98-93 lead.
Deandre Ayton added 28 points and 17 rebounds for the Suns, who wasted a 13-point lead in the second half. Mikal Bridges finished with 17 points and JaVale McGee had 15 on 7 of 8 shooting.
Brandon Ingram had a game-high 34 points for the Pelicans, who host Game 4 on Sunday.
Hornets fire Borrego
UNDATED (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets have fired coach James Borrego after blowout losses in back-to-back years in the play-in tournament.
Borrego was 138-163 in four seasons as the Hornets coach. Charlotte finished 43-39 this season and improved its win total by 10 in each of the past two seasons. However, the Hornets haven’t made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season.
In other NBA news:
— Ben Simmons hopes to play for the Nets during their first-round series against Boston, though he said he probably won’t be ready for Game 3 on Saturday. He says Game 4 on Monday is more likely, calling that “reasonable.” Simmons hasn’t played at all this season.
