WASHINGTON, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Trae Young's game-winner gave the Atlanta Hawks a 111-110 home victory over the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series.
Having come into the contest with two straight losses, the Hawks were hoping to regain the momentum. The two teams were evenly matched in the first half, with the Eagles leading 61-54. In the third quarter, the Heat went on a 21-0 run, while the Hawks responded with a 9-1 run.
In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, the Hawks were leading 109-107. PJ Tucker's 3-pointer gave Miami a chance to win, but Young's floater with 4.4 seconds left sealed the game.
Young had 24 points and eight assists for the Hawks and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Tyler Herro led the Heat with 24 points and seven rebounds, and Jimmy Butler contributed 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Without injured All-Star guard Devin Booker, the Phoenix Suns defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 114-111 for a 2-1 lead in the series.
The Suns had a two-point lead after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Pelicans' Brandon Ingram scored nine consecutive points, but Paul and Bridges hit 10 consecutive free throws.
Deandre Ayton had 28 points and 17 rebounds, and Chris Paul added 28 points and 14 assists. Mikal Bridges scored 17 points.
In another game, the Milwaukee Bucks smashed the Chicago Bulls 111-81 to take a 2-1 lead.
The Bucks dominated the game from the start, leading the Bulls 60-41 at halftime. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks on a 13-0 run in the second half to put the Bulls out of running.
Grayson Allen led the Bucks with 22 points, Antetokounmpo added 18 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists, and Bobby Portis contributed 18 points and 16 rebounds. For the Bulls, no one scored more than 20 points. Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and six rebounds. ■
