Miami Heat limited Trae Young to just eight points in their 115-91 win over Atlanta on Sunday, but they are well aware the Hawks star remains a threat.
Miami can be backed at 3/1 to win the series 4-0, while Atlanta are 11/2 to fight back and claim a series win.
Young averaged 28.4 points-per-game and a career-high 9.7 assists over the course of the regular season, but he struggled against the Heat in Game 1 of their first round play-off series.
The two-time All-Star shot just 1-12 from the field, missing all seven of his three-pointer attempts, and managed just four assists and six rebounds.
Lowry expects Young to respond
"Listen, he's going to make more than one shot," said Heat veteran Kyle Lowry, via abc News. "He's going to have more than four assists. He's going to explode, but we just got to stay patient and stick with what we do."
Miami opted to team up on Young and switch defenders throughout the game to limit his impact and the 23-year-old also admitted fatigue played a part in his poor showing, after the Hawks came through two tough play-in games last week.
"You definitely feel the heavy legs, but you have to give them credit," said Young. "They came out aggressive, they came out with a lot of energy."
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Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was delighted with the way his players defended Young, but he expects a response from the Hawks talisman and warned his team they cannot afford to be complacent after their strong performance in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.
Spoelstra warns of Young ability
"You better be on edge," he said. "You have to be on edge - that team can really score in bunches. Obviously Trae Young can just ignite at any point. So if you relax at any point, all of the sudden he hits a couple, that can turn into a lot more. You have to respect that.
"And our guys have that respect, but even with respect, even with being on edge, he's still capable. That's why we'll just have to be ready for Game 2 and somehow erase this memory and keep that edge."
The two teams meet again on Tuesday for Game 2, before the series heads to Atlanta.
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