The Atlanta Hawks’ chances of tying up their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Milwaukee Bucks were severely harmed immediately before tip-off on Tuesday night. Due to a foot injury sustained in Game 3, ESPN’s Malika Andrews and Adrian Wojnarowski report that star guard Trae Young will be unable to play.
The Hawks announced the news shortly after.
Young sustained the injury in the previous game’s third quarter. Young attempted to deliver a pass that was intercepted by the Bucks, and as he turned to return to the defensive end of the court, he trod on a referee’s foot and collapsed to the floor. He was able to return to the game after being inspected in the back, but he was clearly irritable and was eventually listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game.
The Hawks have the talent to win and tie the series at 2-2, but missing Young’s ability to hit shots, make plays, and provide an emotional lift will be a huge challenge to overcome. Young has averaged 29.8 points and 9.5 assists in 37.9 minutes per game this postseason.
