The Atlanta Hawks took down the Phoenix Suns 129-120 Friday night at State Farm Arena. After not being named an All-Star reserve, Trae Young was out to prove a point. He delivered a masterful performance of 32 points, 15 assists and three steals on the way to Atlanta’s tenth-straight victory over Phoenix at home.
Jusuf Nurkić scored the first six points in the paint for the Suns early, and Kevin Durant threw down two dunks in transition to start his night. The Hawks had trouble slowing down the superstar throughout the contest because he found his offensive rhythm quickly. Although both teams scored well in the opening frame, the Hawks’ active hands forced Phoenix into six turnovers. Young picked Grayson Allen’s pocket for a layup and orchestrated multiple slip screen-and-rolls with Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, resulting in easy dunks. Young began the game shooting 4-5 from the field, including 3-3 from deep, finishing with 11 points in the opening frame. Atlanta held a 33-30 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Bogdan Bogdanović was instant offense off the bench in this game. He hit back-to-back threes early in the second quarter, but Phoenix countered more often than not when the Hawks created separation. Durant’s third dunk tied the game at 45 until Head Coach Quin Snyder drew up a perfect play to give Okongwu an open corner three. The Hawks increased their lead to 59-52 on a 10-2 run when Johnson finished strong at the rim with an and-one layup around Nurkić. Atlanta built its lead to 11 toward the end of the quarter, but the last two minutes of the half went Phoenix’s way. The Suns ended the half on an 11-3 run to squash the Hawks’ momentum heading into the locker room. Atlanta held a 66-63 lead at halftime, as Young led the way with 17 points and nine assists.
Wesley Matthews started the third quarter over Saddiq Bey, who did not return, after the latter twisted his left ankle coming down after a layup. Both teams scored at will to start the second half. Nurkić bulldozed his way into lane for easy looks at the rim, while Young cashed in two more threes. Midway through the third qaurter, Phoenix was shooting 56% from the field. Young hit a circus shot over the backboard, sending fans into a frenzy, but the officials deemed the foul ocurred before the shot. Matthews knocked down a couple triples in the frame, and the Hawks ended the quarter on a 7-0 run, taking a 100-95 lead into the fourth.
After a subpar first three quarters, Dejounte Murray caught fire when the Hawks needed him the most. After an acrobatic finish with his left hand for a layup, Murray intercepted Durant’s pass to Bradley Beal and took it all the way for a layup, putting Atlanta up 108-99. Later in the frame, Young picked Durant’s pocket and splashed a triple on the other end giving the Hawks a 121-111 lead. Durant did his best to keep Phoenix from falling, but Atlanta kept the Suns in the rearview mirror long enough to scure the victory.
Young shot 7-11 from beyond the arc and 12-17 from the floor in his virtuoso performance. Murray totaled 22 points, five assists and eight rebounds, while Clint Capela put up an 11-point, 10-board double-double. Johnson scored 16, and Okongwu had one of his best games of the season with 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Bogdanović shot 8-12 from the field for 23 points and five assists.
Durant ended with 35 points, eight assists and eight boards, while Devin Booker scored 24. Beal shot 0-7 from three-point range but finished with 14 points and 10 assists. Nurkic had 14 points and nine reboinds, and Allen dropped in 12 points.
The Hawks can tie their season-best win streak at four games on Saturday night with a win over the Golden State Warriors at home.
