Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks shoots a three-point basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at State Farm Arena on January 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Getty Images via AFP)
LOS ANGELES – Trae Young scored 36 points and passed off 12 assists Sunday to rally Atlanta over the Los Angeles Lakers 129-121, stretching the Hawks’ NBA win streak to seven games.
Young scored 13 points in the fourth quarter and reserve Onyeka Okongwu, the US son of Nigerian immigrants, added 12 of his 16 points in the fourth to spark a rally from a 101-91 deficit after three quarters.
The host Hawks improved to 24-25, 10th in the Eastern Conference, while the Lakers fell to 24-27, ninth in the Western Conference.
The Lakers were playing without superstar playmaker LeBron James, a four-time NBA champion who missed a third consecutive game with a sore left knee.
Malik Monk led the Lakers with 33 points, 19 of them in the first half, and 10 rebounds while Anthony Davis had 27 points and Russell Westbrook contributed 20 points and 12 assists.
Lou Williams of the Atlanta Hawks shoots a three-point basket against Carmelo Anthony of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at State Farm Arena on January 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Getty Images via AFP)
The Hawks opened the fourth with a 16-5 run to seize the lead at 107-106 on a three-pointer by Lou Williams.
The Lakers pulled level at 121-121 on a Monk three-pointer with 1:52 remaining, but Young answered with a 30-foot three-pointer and two free throws as the Hawks scored the last eight points for the victory.
In another early start at Charlotte, Reggie Jackson and rookie reserve Brandon Boston each scored 19 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers over the Charlotte Hornets 115-90.
John Collins defends as Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Atlanta Hawks steals the ball from Russell Westbrook of the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at State Farm Arena on January 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Getty Images via AFP)
The Clippers improved to 26-26, seventh in the West, while the Hornets fell to 28-23, seventh in the East.
LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 23 points and 10 assists while also grabbing six rebounds.