Trae Young Injury Update Is Ominous Sign for Hawks UPDATE: Young Questionable
By Peter Dewey
UPDATE: Trae Young has a bone bruise in his right foot and is questionable for Game 4. Young returned to Game 3 after suffering the injury, but it appears he could miss Game 4 on Tuesday. What follows in the original report following Game 3.
The Atlanta Hawks dropped Game 3 against the Milwaukee Bucks and they may be in trouble in the series.
Star Trae Young injured his ankle late in Game 3, and while he gutted things out to come back in the game, Hawks head coach Nate McMillan was noncommittal on Young’s status for Game 4.
Nate McMillan says Trae Young's ankle was sore when he came back into the game in the fourth quarter, but that when he checked out late in the fourth, McMillan wasn't going to bring him back in. Said he isn't sure whether the ankle will be an issue going forward for Young.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 28, 2021
Now trailing 2-1 in the series, the Hawks are massive underdogs (+1000) on WynnBET to win the series. Milwaukee seems to be clicking on all cylinders after Khris Middleton finally found his shooting stroke in Game 3, and Atlanta will face an uphill battle to come back if Young isn’t himself.
"Really just my blow-by speed," Young said on what he was missing when he came back in. "I mean, that's a big part of my game, is my ability just to blow by anybody. And when you're on the left side and you're trying to blow by, you got to use your right foot."
Trae Young says he's getting an MRI in the morning on his ankle. He says the plan for him is to play in Game 4, but that he'll be getting "as much treatment as I can" between now and then.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) June 28, 2021
Injuries have killed the Hawks this postseason, as starting wing De’Andre Hunter is out for the season with a torn meniscus and guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is nursing a knee injury.
Bogdanovic, who was averaging over 16 points per game in the playoffs before the injury, shot just 3-for-16 in Game 3 and is looking like a liability on the offensive end.
Atlanta may have stolen Game 1, but Vegas doesn’t have much confidence in the Hawks winning another game.
WynnBET now has Bucks in five games (-125) as the most likely outcome in the series. It’s hard to argue with that logic now that Young is banged up, and with Middleton finding his shot, the Bucks become even more dangerous on offense.
Young’s injury will make or break the Hawks’ chances of continuing their magical playoff run, and it seems that oddsmakers think that the clock is about to strike midnight on this Atlanta team.