The Atlanta Hawks and the New Orleans Pelicans each get a shot at the final two play-off tickets. Wednesday’s NBA.
The Hawks picked up a 132-103 win in their play-in duel with the Charlotte Hornets and will now face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. The winner of this game will get the last play-off ticket in the Eastern Conference and will face the Miami Heat in the first round.
Against the Hornets, the Hawks put the game away with a strong 42-24 third quarter. Trae Young scored 24 points for the Hawks, LaMelo Ball was the best scorer in the match with 26 points. Hornets star Miles Bridges caused a scandal when he complained so much in the last quarter that he had to leave the court because of two technical fouls.
While walking into the locker room, a fan cheered him offensively, causing Bridges to lose his cool and fire his mouthguard at him. Bridges missed the supporter and instead hit a young girl in the face. “That’s unacceptable,” the 24-year-old admitted ruefully afterwards, “It’s certainly out of character for me, but I take full responsibility, of course. “
CJ McCollum scores 32 points for the Pelicans
Meanwhile, the Pelicans won 113-103 against the San Antonio Spurs and now have to face Isaiah Hartenstein’s Los Angeles Clippers for the last Western Conference ticket. Whoever wins that match will face the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the play-offs.
Like the Hawks, the Pelicans had a good third quarter, but extended their lead almost continuously and only let the Spurs back into the game a little in the final minutes. The best scorer was CJ McCollum with 32 points for the Pelicans.
