NBA: Trae Young, after All-Star snub, helps Hawks edge Jazz
Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts after passing to John Collins #20 for a dunk against the Detroit Pistons during the third quarter at State Farm Arena on December 23, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP
Trae Young responded to not being named an All-Star by scoring 27 points and De’Andre Hunter added 26 points to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 115-108 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night in Salt Lake City.
Onyeka Okongwu contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds and Dejounte Murray tallied 13 points and eight assists to help the Hawks improve to 2-1 on their five-game road trip.
Clint Capela hauled in a game-high 13 rebounds and scored nine points for Atlanta.
De'Andre Hunter hits the clutch 3⃣ for a season-high 26 PTS.
Hawks win in Utah. pic.twitter.com/jYOvT2JcER
— NBA (@NBA) February 4, 2023
Lauri Markkanen, who just earned his first All-Star Game invitation, was one of three Jazz players to produce at least 20 points, scoring 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. It was the 20th consecutive game in which Markkanen scored 20 or more.
Jordan Clarkson scored 24 and Mike Conley, playing his 1,000th NBA game, chipped in with 20 points and eight assists.
The Hawks outscored the Jazz in each of the first three quarters and took a 91-78 lead into the final stanza.
Oooh silky finish Trae pic.twitter.com/9rHd1mXsEl
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 4, 2023
Utah cut the deficit to eight in the third quarter and to nine in the fourth, but Okongwu capped a 6-0 spurt with a dunk to help re-establish Atlanta’s 15-point lead midway through the final period.
The Jazz posted a late rally, outscoring the Hawks 12-2 to get within five after Clarkson hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left.
Young, a two-time All-Star, responded with a big 3-pointer, but Utah kept chipping into the margin and got as close as four when Ochai Agbaji hit a trey with 36.1 seconds remaining.
Hunter then sealed the victory for the visitors with a 3-pointer with 22 seconds to go.
Atlanta jumped out to a 14-3 lead and then surged ahead by 22 points in the second quarter after Young scored six of his 17 first-half points during an 8-0 run.
The Jazz, who were only 1-for-12 from 3-point range in the first quarter, finished the first half strong, going on a 12-2 run to trim Atlanta’s lead to 62-50.
