After imposing his will on offense for four quarters on Tuesday, the Atlanta Hawk’s Trae Young still had one play left in him with the final seconds ticking off the clock as he heaved a buzzer-beating three-pointer from just behind the halfcourt line to give the Hawks a 124-121 victory over the Utah Jazz.
The dramatic shot capped a game in which Young had 24 points and 20 assists while committing only two turnovers.
His game-winner followed of a tying three-pointer by Utah’s Collin Sexton with four seconds left.
Photo: AP
“When there’s time left, I always feel like we can score,” Young said.
Young, the Hawks’ franchise leader in assists and made three-pointers, put on a clinic on how to control a game. He dished out seven assists before scoring his first basket in the second quarter. Behind his sure hand, Atlanta built a 16-point first-half lead before Utah rallied and forced a tight finish.
“This is part of what I do,” Young said. “I always get guys involved, always been able to find people. I feel like I’m the kind of guy who can pass you open. You don’t just have to be open for me to get you the ball. I can see things and get you into a good spot.”
Photo: AP
Young’s winner was the highlight of a series of big plays he made down the stretch.
After the Jazz took a 114-113 lead on the second of back-to-back dunks by Walker Kessler, Young scored a step-back three to reclaim the lead and then fed De’Andre Hunter for another go-ahead trey a minute later.
Then, Young hit a pair of free throws with 8.8 seconds left.
Photo: AP
“He has taken a lot of pride in being efficient and knowing when it is time to give the ball up and when it’s time to impress himself on the game from a scoring standpoint,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said.
Young needed only a couple of dribbles and a halfcourt heave to make that impression a lasting one. He felt confident the shot would be right on target from the moment he took the inbounds pass and up to when he released the ball.
“I knew we had three seconds,” Young said. “I could take a couple of dribbles and be closer to halfcourt and then I made sure I used my legs and put some air into the ball and that was important.”
In Denver, Colorado, Jayson Tatum scored 29 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 25 as reigning champions the Boston Celtics triumphed 118-106 over 2023 title holders the Denver Nuggets, who were without three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic because of illness.
Porzingis scored 15 points in the first quarter to key Boston’s hot start, but their 37-25 lead evaporated in the second quarter and it was tied 57-57 at halftime.
Russell Westbrook scored 26 points to lead six Denver players to score in double figures, but the Celtics used a 15-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
In New Orleans, Anthony Edwards scored 32 points with nine rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 104-97 victory over the Pelicans, spoiling Pels star Zion Williamson’s return from a two-month injury absence.
Williamson scored 22 points with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Dejounte Murray led New Orleans with 29 points, but C.J. McCollum had a rough night — scoring just five points on one-of-14 shooting.
Quentin Grimes was the unlikely hero for Dallas as the injury-hit Mavericks outclassed LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 118-97 to snap a five-game losing streak.
Grimes came off the bench to score 23 points and grab nine rebounds, drilling six of the Mavericks’ 18 three-pointers.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, the Hornets halted their 10-game losing streak with a 115-104 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
In Washington, Jalen Green scored 22 of his 29 points in the third quarter as the Houston Rockets routed the short-handed Wizards 135-112, while the Miami Heat snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Golden State Warriors 114-98 in San Francisco.
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