Trae Young Archives - Sports Al Dente

NBA Recap: Hawks Prevail in OT Over Celtics in Atlanta

Trae Young scored 28 points and provided 11 assists to help the Atlanta Hawks win their third consecutive game, beating the Boston Celtics 119-115 in overtime on Saturday.

Dyson Daniels contributed 23 points for the Hawks, who won despite shooting 9-for-37 from 3-point range and committing 18 turnovers. Onyeka Okongwu added 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while Jalen Johnson scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Young, Johnson, and De’Andre Hunter (who scored 16 points) all returned to action after injuries.

The Celtics were trailing by three points in overtime when Jayson Tatum missed a 3-point shot with 6.6 seconds remaining. Tatum finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in the loss.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 24 points but struggled with his shooting, making just 9 of 27 attempts. Derrick White also contributed 21 points and eight rebounds for Boston.

Suns 125, Pistons 121

Kevin Durant scored 30 of his 36 points in the second half, and Devin Booker added 35 points as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Detroit Pistons.

Booker extended his streak of 30-point games to five, and the Suns won for the fifth time in six games. Phoenix came from behind to tie the game at 89 in the third quarter, thanks to Durant, who scored 21 points in that period.

Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 21 points, and Cade Cunningham contributed 20 points and 11 assists.

Pacers 115, 76ers 102

Pascal Siakam recorded 21 points and eight rebounds, and Myles Turner added 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in Indianapolis.

Four reserves scored in double figures for Indiana, which won eight of their last nine games. Aaron Nesmith, Thomas Bryant, and Ben Sheppard each scored 12 points, while T.J. McConnell chipped in with 10 points. Indiana was able to win despite a subpar performance from Tyrese Haliburton, who scored just nine points, making only 1 of 7 from 3-point range and 4 of 11 overall.

Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 28 points. The 76ers were missing Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (groin) among other players, and they have now lost five straight games. Ricky Council IV and Kelly Oubre Jr. both scored 18 points, and rookie Adem Bona had a career-high 12 points.

Rockets 125, Trail Blazers 103

Jalen Green scored 26 points, and Alperen Sengun added 23 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists to help the Houston Rockets defeat the Portland Trail Blazers.

Dillon Brooks contributed 22 points, and Tari Eason added 18 points, eight rebounds, and three steals off the bench as the Rockets won for the sixth time in seven games. Houston also improved to 7-1 in their last eight road games. Cam Whitmore had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Aaron Holiday added 10 points.

Jalen Green and head coach Stephen Silas shake hands after a score and a foul by Green against the New York Knicks during the first half

Scoot Henderson led the Trail Blazers with 21 points, 11 assists, and three blocked shots. Portland has now lost five consecutive games, with the last four coming at home by an average margin of 22.5 points.

Cavaliers 124, Timberwolves 117

Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and provided seven assists to help the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Darius Garland added 29 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Georges Niang and Ty Jerome each scored 15 points off the bench, while Jarrett Allen scored 14 points and made 6 of 9 shots.

For Minnesota, Anthony Edwards scored 28 points on 9-for-22 shooting. Julius Randle had 20 points and 14 rebounds, and Rudy Gobert recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Warriors 122, Wizards 114

Andrew Wiggins, Stephen Curry, and Dennis Schroder combined for 77 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a win over the Washington Wizards.

Wiggins had a season-high 31 points, Curry scored 26, and Schroder added 20 points for the Warriors, who were ahead just 104-103 after Jordan Poole’s 3-pointer with 5:18 remaining. Wiggins finished with 12 rebounds, and Schroder made seven of his 14 shots in his highest-scoring game since joining the Warriors.

Poole led all scorers with 38 points for the Wizards. Kyle Kuzma added 22 points, Carlton Carrington scored 17, Alex Sarr had 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds, and Corey Kispert contributed 10 points. Washington was starting a six-game road trip.

Trae Young and the Hawks are aiming for a major victory in Las Vegas at the NBA Cup semifinals

Trae Young could be considered one of the NBA’s biggest mysteries.

His fans point to his impressive statistics to say he’s a top player. On the other hand, his critics highlight his numbers to argue that he’s overrated. Both sides have their reasons. Some people find his confident attitude charming, while others find it frustrating.

What can’t be debated is that he’s been a key part of Atlanta’s surprising success this season. The Hawks are in the NBA Cup semifinals and will face Milwaukee on Saturday. The other semifinal game will feature Oklahoma City and Houston, with the championship game taking place on Tuesday night.

“When we talk about Trae, the word I like to use is evolution,” said Hawks coach Quin Snyder. “And every player evolves. They just evolve in different ways. He’s been an important part of our young guys’ growth and being able to elevate them.”

The Hawks haven’t had many major moments in Young’s seven years with the team. But he has a knack for rising to the occasion: eliminating the New York Knicks in the 2021 playoffs, knocking the Knicks out of this tournament to make it to Las Vegas, and now facing another chance to play for a trophy on national television Saturday.

Josh Hart and Trae Young in the 1st half

“I feel like this team has been embracing the challenge each and every night from the beginning of the season,” Young said. “We haven’t looked too far ahead in any moment. We’re just taking it day by day. Even though early on in the season we may have had some struggles and some bumps in the road and some guys out, we stuck with the process and focused on each day.”

Here’s part of why people support Young: He’s averaging 21 points and 12 assists, a feat that only Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas have done over a full season, and he’s on track to lead the league in assists for the first time.

Here’s part of why some criticize Young: Out of the 220 players with at least 50 3-point attempts this season, he ranks 189th with a 30.8% shooting rate. And among the 248 players with at least 100 field goal attempts, he ranks 231st with a shooting percentage of 38.4%.

You can choose which side to take — both have merit. But it’s clear that Young, who was frustrated about not being chosen for the USA Basketball team for the Paris Olympics, is growing and maturing.

“He’s doing a better job on both ends of the floor,” said Bucks coach Doc Rivers. “Defensively he’s figured out a way of keeping himself out of actions. I know that sounds easy. That’s hard to do, and he’s brilliant at it, he really is.

He must be really studying the game on both ends of the floor, and you can see that in his play. And he’s earned the trust of his players. This team likes playing with him, that’s obvious. I couldn’t say that in the past, but now they love playing with him.”

Hawks forward Jalen Johnson agrees.

“He’s so good, man,” Johnson said. “It’s crazy, like just seeing it in person and on TV prior to me playing with the Hawks and getting drafted by the Hawks, it was crazy just watching it. A guy that’s undersized, being able to score at will, being able to make any pass at will. And then next thing you know you’re his teammate and you’re on the receiving end of those passes.

Trae Young walks off the game after the game

“Watching those clutch late-game buckets, it’s a joy to watch. It’s a gift that he has that’s very special and not many people have had it at that elite of a level. It’s been great being his teammate. It’s been a blessing.”

Saturday presents an opportunity. The NBA Cup semifinals are the only games on the NBA schedule for that day, and the title game on Tuesday — which doesn’t count for the regular season standings — is the only game on the slate that night as well.

Young will have many people watching him Saturday, and even more if the Hawks manage to win against the Bucks. They’re 3-1 against Eastern Conference leaders Cleveland and Boston this season and 1-0 against Milwaukee.

The potential for the Hawks is clear, and Young’s potential has always been evident too. But now, it’s starting to show.

“The narrative about me not being able to do certain things or being too mad or frustrated about certain things is — I mean, just aren’t true,” Young said.

“I think you’re just now being able to see like with the young team we have, just some of the different things we’ve been doing this year, I think just now you’re starting to kind of see it because the results are showing and we’re winning now. We’re here in this final four of the Cup, and it’s a big deal.”