Edmond Sumner's Clutch Free Throws Power Pacers Past Trae Young, Hawks
The Indiana Pacers sat all five of their starters on the final night of the season.
It didn't matter.
Edmond Sumner hit three free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining, giving the Pacers a thrilling 135-134 victory over the Atlanta Hawks to close out their season Wednesday at State Farm Arena.
Hawks forward DeAndre' Bembry fouled Sumner on his game-winning three attempt, negating a clutch three from teammate Taurean Prince on the other end that gave the Hawks a lead with 2.1 seconds left.
TJ Leaf led the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyreke Evans added 27 points.
Indiana ends the regular season 48-34, the exact same record the team had a year ago with a healthy Victor Oladipo. The finish is a testament to a well-built, well-coached roster that the Pacers held it together following Oladipo's injury.
Indiana, the East's No. 5 seed, will play the Boston Celtics in Round 1. The Celtics will be without guard Marcus Smart, who suffered an oblique injury and is expected to miss at least a month of action.
The Hawks struggled with their roster almost fully healthy in a game that was mostly defense-optional.
Trae Young concluded his rookie season with a 23-point, 11-assist performance. John Collins had 20 points and 25 rebounds.
Trae Young, Young Core Give Hawks Brightest Future of Any Lottery Team
Enough about the Young-Luka Doncic trade. At least for now. It's a franchise-altering swap of talents that could shape the future of both franchises, but let's focus on the Hawks irrespective of where they would be with Doncic over Young.
The answer: The Hawks may have the best "rebuild" roster in the NBA and are set to add two more lottery talents this summer.
Atlanta has the fifth-best odds of winning the Zion Williamson lottery and a 42.1 percent chance of landing in the top four, per Tankathon. The Hawks will also get the Mavericks' pick unless Dallas hops into the top four, which has a 26.3 percent chance.
A best-case scenario for the Hawks roster in 2019-20 looks something like this:
PG: Young
SG: Kevin Huerter
SF: Prince
PF: Williamson
C: Collins
Bench: Kent Bazemore, Bembry, Romeo Langford/Cam Reddish, veteran fillers
That's a borderline playoff team in the East and easily the most entertaining NBA 2K20 team on the market. Even a more realistic scenario that winds up with a De'Andre Hunter or Reddish in the Williamson spot is an admirable core that any team would love to have. Zion would get the Hawks the can't-miss superstar they're probably lacking in this group—Young could get there, but he's going to need a lot of offensive work—but the (eventual) trade cannon is full of fodder.
The only other teams in the conversation are Dallas and Phoenix, which both have some major question marks. The Mavs don't have a co-star beside Doncic that's even close to Collins' ballpark. The Suns look like they should be better on paper but haven't found their way out of the West basement.
What's Next?
The Pacers will play the Boston Celtics in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
