Trae Young hits wild game-winning buzzer-beater from beyond halfcourt to give the Atlanta Hawks the win over the Utah Jazz
The Atlanta Hawks and the Utah Jazz played out an incredible closing few seconds on Tuesday night, but it was Atlanta’s Trae Young who had the last word with a remarkable, game-winning buzzer-beater from beyond halfcourt.
Young’s 50-foot heave gave the Hawks a 124-121 win over the Jazz and came just moments after Collin Sexton’s three-pointer had leveled the score at 121-121 with just 2.9 seconds remaining.
Young finished the game with 24 points and 20 assists, while registering just two turnovers.
Ironically, however, Young’s long-range effort came at the end of a game in which he shot poorly from deep, going just two-of-nine from three-point range before he made the game-winner.
“When there’s time left, I always feel like we can score,” Young said, per ESPN. “I knew we had three seconds. I could take a couple of dribbles and be closer to halfcourt and then I made sure I used my legs and put some air into the ball and that was important.”
The Hawks opened up an early 14-point lead in the first quarter in Salt Lake City, before extending their advantage to 16 in the second.
But the Jazz, who hold the fifth-worst record in the NBA, rallied impressively to make it a back-and-forth game for most of the second half.
Young scored 10 of his 24 points and made two of his three three-pointers in the fourth quarter, showcasing all of his clutch abilities.
The star guard’s 20-assist night led to seven Hawks players hitting double figures, including 18 points for Clint Capela and 17 for De’Andre Hunter.
“He has taken a lot of pride in being efficient and knowing when it is time to give the ball up and when it’s time to impress himself on the game from a scoring standpoint,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said of Young.
For the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen hit a season-high eight triples as he finished with a game-high 35 points.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Hawks, who occupy the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 19-18 record and next travel to face the struggling Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
The Jazz, meanwhile, are now 9-26 for the season and sit 14th in the Western Conference.
Tuesday’s scores in full
Away @ home (winners in bold)
Houston Rockets 135-112 Washington Wizards
Phoenix Suns 104-115 Charlotte Hornets
Los Angeles Lakers 97-118 Dallas Mavericks
Minnesota Timberwolves 104-97 New Orleans Pelicans
Atlanta Hawks 124-121 Utah Jazz
Miami Heat 114-98 Golden State Warriors
Boston Celtics 118-106 Denver Nuggets
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