Trae Young’s three-pointer with eight seconds left in overtime pushed the Atlanta Hawks to a 134-132 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
It ruined an excellent night for LeBron James at the other end.
Young led the Hawks with 31 points and 20 assists, followed by 26 points from De’Andre Hunter (on 5-for-7 shooting from 3). With Bogdan Bogdanović’s 20 and Onyeka Okongwu scoring 15, Atlanta got 65 points off its bench. Dyson Daniels added four steals with 11 points.
Atlanta has won six straight games to improve its record to 13-11 and fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Lakers lost their third straight game, despite LeBron James scoring 39 points as part of a triple-double, with 10 rebounds and 11 assists. James also recorded two steals and three blocks. Additionally, he shot 6 of 10 on 3-pointers after making one against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, breaking a streak of 20 consecutive misses from behind the arc.
Since scoring a season-low 10 points in Monday’s 109-80 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, James has bounced back with a 29-point effort during a 134-93 loss to Miami and Friday’s triple-double. However, the Lakers have lost seven of their past nine games, dropping them to 10th in the Western Conference with a 12-11 record.
Both teams were tied at 64-64 at halftime, but the Lakers eventually took a 77-66 lead in the third quarter. Atlanta fought its way back and the teams traded the lead in the fourth. The Hawks took a 119-117 lead with 27 seconds left in regulation on a 3 from Hunter. But James tied the game with 12.2 seconds left to force overtime.
In overtime, Anthony Davis hit a jumper with 42 seconds left for a 132-129 lead. But two free throws from Jalen Johnson cut the margin to one point, leading to Young’s game-winning 3. Johnson finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Davis nearly matched James with 38 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Dalton Knecht added 14, while both Gabe Vincent and Rui Hachimura scored 12 points.
Next up for the Lakers is a return home for a matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. The Hawks also host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
