Hawks Defeat Suns 116-107 Thanks to Young’s 36-point Performance
On Thursday night, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the struggling Phoenix Suns, who were still awaiting the arrival of newly acquired Kevin Durant, 116-107 thanks to Trae Young, who scored 25 of his team-high 36 points in the second half.
After leading 56-47 at halftime, the Hawks extended their lead to 20 points in the third quarter.
Phoenix’s three-game winning streak came to an end as Josh Okogie scored 25 points and Deandre Ayton added 23 points.
After trading Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges as part of a package for Durant, the 13-time All-Star, before Thursday’s trade deadline, the Suns only had nine players available. Although Durant did not play in the game with his new squad, there is growing interest in his presence.
“You can put him on any team and he’s going to fit,” Prior to the game, Suns guard Landry Shamet praised Durant. “He has experience playing in a variety of systems, so he is skilled. In any of them, he could be inserted. Every time you throw it to him, he will score. He’s going to make the wise move.”
Following two trades, the Hawks also changed their roster. For shooting guard Garrison Matthews and center Bruno Fernando, Atlanta traded Frank Kaminsky, Justin Holiday, and two second-round picks to Houston. In the 2019–20 season, the 6-foot–9 Fernando made his professional debut in Atlanta.
As part of a three-team trade, the Hawks sent five second-round draft picks to Golden State while acquiring Saddiq Bey, a former small forward for the Detroit Pistons.
Phoenix scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter, which Atlanta led 93-75 after three quarters. Young made a jump shot to end the Suns’ run, and his 3-pointer from the front of the halfcourt logo gave Atlanta a 104-91 advantage.
For Atlanta, Dejounte Murray scored 19 points, while John Collins scored 16.
The Hawks, coming off a 2-3 road trip, played only their sixth home game of 2023. Of their final 27 regular-season games, they play 17 at home.
“It’s good to be back home, but we have to take advantage of this home stretch that we have,” coach Prior to the match, Nate McMillan said.
TIP-INS
Suns: Fs Cameron Payne (right foot sprain), Devin Booker (groin), and Shamet (right foot soreness) were all unavailable.
Hawks: Young notched his 27th double-double of the year with 12 assists. He now has 61 straight games with at least 10 points and five assists, which puts him five games shy of Oscar Robertson’s 66-game mark for the fourth-longest streak in NBA history. … Of the Hawks’ season-high 59 rebounds, Clint Capela had 17 of them.
