Young scores 27 to lead Hawks past Jazz, 115-108
Feb 3, 2023, 6:40 AM | Updated: 9:44 pm
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives as Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley (11) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Trae Young had 27 points and six assists to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 115-108 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
De’Andre Hunter scored 26 points for the Hawks. Onyeka Okongwu had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Dejounte Murray added 13 points and eight assists.
Atlanta won for the third time in its last four road games.
“I feel like winning on the road comes down to energy,” Hunter said. “You know the crowd is going to be behind the home team, so we just rally around each other to build that energy. Once we have energy, everything else just flows.”
The Hawks went to the rim early and it paid off. They had 28 assists on 44 baskets and scored 56 points in the paint.
“We have to be aggressive,” coach Nate McMillan said. “We don’t want to just sit out there and settle for the perimeter shots. I think we’re creating opportunities when we’re being aggressive, attacking the rim, attacking the paint.”
Lauri Markkanen had 25 points and 10 rebounds to pace Utah. Jordan Clarkson scored 24, and Mike Conley finished with 20 points and eight assists.
Utah struggled from the outside, going 13 of 44 from 3-point range. The Jazz had a three-game home winning streak snapped.
“We did a pretty good job on the shooters all night,” Young said. “I think that helped us.”
Atlanta dominated on both ends of the court throughout the first half. The Hawks built a 60-38 lead late in the second quarter after Young bookended an 8-0 run with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws.
Utah made only one 3-pointer in the first quarter and just five outside baskets by halftime.
“Those tough misses maybe affected us,” Markkanen said. “I felt like I forced (shots) up after I saw a couple roll, so I wanted to go try again.”
Utah chipped away at the deficit in the second half and rallied late in the fourth quarter. Clarkson buried consecutive 3-pointers to punctuate a 10-0 run and cut Atlanta’s lead to 106-101 with 3:17 left. Young countered with a 3 to keep the Hawks in control.
Atlanta held off the Jazz in the end because Utah struggled to get stops even after making baskets.
“They have a lot of very good offensive players and if you’re not detailed in your defense, they can punish you,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said.
DOUBLE DUTY
Hunter turned in one of his most complete games of the season. The fourth-year forward made a season-high 10 field goals and set a season best for points. Defensively, he drew the assignment of guarding Markkanen. Hunter found a way to slow the Jazz All-Star long enough to help keep Utah’s offense off balance for much of the game.
“He’s the All-Star on their team,” Hunter said. “Slowing him down definitely will slow the team down. That was my main thing, just trying to make it as tough as possible for him.”
TIP-INS
Hawks: John Collins scored all 10 of his points in the first quarter. Collins started 3 of 5 from the field but went 0 for 5 over the final three quarters. … Clint Capela grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
Jazz: Conley played in his 1,000th career game. … Jarred Vanderbilt finished with a team-best 11 rebounds. … Clarkson started 1 of 9 from the field before making nine of his last 12 shots.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Visit Denver on Saturday.
Jazz: Host Dallas on Monday.
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