Fans at State Farm Arena were treated to a thriller Friday. The Hawks defeated the Suns 129-120 for their third consecutive win.
Here are five takeaways:
1. The highlight of the game occurred with five minutes left. Hours after Hawks coach Quin Snyder praised guard Trae Young’s ability to rack up steals, he came up with a game-shifting one.
Young – in his first game since learning he wasn’t named among the All-Star reserves – swiped the ball from Suns’ all-world scorer Kevin Durant and nailed a 3-pointer on the other end. It extended the Hawks’ lead to 121-111 and made the arena erupt.
“It’s a risky play,” Young said of his steal. “Quin doesn’t like us doing it too much. I took the gamble and went for it, knowing that if I tried to meet him at the rim it was probably his advantage. So they threw it up and I tried to attack the ball, be a cornerback, and go get it. Fortunately I grabbed it, made a 3 and that was a big momentum swing for us.”
Young finished with 32 points and 15 assists. He shot 12 of 17, making 7 of 11 three-point attempts.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
2. The post-game press conference was Young’s first time speaking publicly since his All-Star snub. He missed the roster despite placing second among Eastern Conference guards in fan voting.
“I got a lot of love for the fans,” Young said. “I have a lot of love for the fans out there. I don’t have much to say about it right now.”
If Young, a two-time All-Star, is invited to the game as an injury replacement, he said he’ll participate.
3. The Hawks’ other guard was effective in his own right. Dejounte Murray seemed unfazed by recent trade chatter, coming through in the clutch multiple times down the stretch. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Murray had a sequence of made basket, steal and made basket to help the Hawks build a nine-point lead with 9:28 remaining. When Phoenix closed the gap to five, Murray immediately hit a 3 then helped force Suns guard Devin Booker into a backcourt violation on the ensuing possession.
Murray had 22 points despite shooting 1-for-8 on 3s.
“He didn’t have a good shooting night, but he had a great game,” Snyder said. “I think that’s worth noting. … But his ability to get to the rim, to get his midrange, then on the other end he had a tough assignment on Booker. So to have that burst offensively at such a crucial time, then do it on the other end, too, is obviously crucial.”
4. Hawks forward Saddiq Bey left the game with a left-ankle sprain. Snyder didn’t have an update after the game.
Before his injury, he was 1-for-7 and 0-for-3 on 3-pointers. When the Hawks acquired Bey from the Pistons a year ago, their hope was he’d rediscover his long-range form and be a reliable floor-spacing forward. But with his (restricted) free agency looming, Bey has suffered through a lengthy troublesome shooting spell.
Bey entered Friday shooting 25% from 3 over his past 26 games. Bey has made three 3s in one game only three times during this stretch. In January, he shot just under 20% on six attempts a game.
5. Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter was out Friday after returning earlier this week from a 19-game absence due to right-knee inflammation. It was just a maintenance day for Hunter, Snyder said, and he’s expected to play Saturday against the Warriors on the second night of a back-to-back.
Hunter scored six points in 16 minutes against the Lakers on Tuesday and his consistent presence will be welcomed back in the Hawks’ lineup. In 25 games, Hunter has career-best numbers in 3-point percentage (40%) and effective field-goal percentage (55%).
Stat to know
46-- The Hawks’ bench provided 46 points, half of which came from sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Quotable
“Yeah, I would just because I know I’m not representing just myself. Instead of me being selfish and being a (jerk) towards it, I’m just being honest – I could, but I know I’m not representing just myself. I haven’t even been offered yet so who knows if they will offer me. That’s how funny it is. But if they do, I would go.” – Trae Young on his willingness to be an injury replacement in the All-Star game
Up next
The stars keep rolling into Atlanta on Saturday when the Hawks host Steph Curry’s Warriors. Golden State defeated the Hawks 134-112 last week in San Francisco.
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