CLEVELAND — Trae Young delivered an outstanding performance with a career-high of 22 assists, marking the highest number in the NBA for the season, along with scoring 20 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 135-124 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
This defeat marked just the second loss for the Cavaliers this season, dropping their record to 17-2 and ending their impressive streak of 11 consecutive home victories.
Supporting Young, De’Andre Hunter contributed significantly with 26 points, while Jalen Johnson added 22 for the Hawks, who executed key plays late in the game that shocked the Cavs. Rookie Zaccharie Risacher, who was the top overall pick in this year’s draft, made a noteworthy impact by scoring 13 of his 17 points within the first three minutes of the second half for Atlanta.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 30 points, while Evan Mobley provided a strong performance with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Cleveland was aiming to make history as the first team to achieve an 18-1 start or better this season.
In summary of the game: The Hawks’ Young, despite having an off night shooting (6 of 18), showcased his playmaking abilities by heavily involving his teammates. This win broke a three-game losing streak for Atlanta and marked their second notable road win, with a prior victory in Boston on November 12 when Young was absent.
On the other hand, the Cavaliers displayed signs of vulnerability at home after a dominant start. They initially built a substantial 19-point lead, which may have led to a false sense of security as they later struggled to maintain it against the Hawks.
A pivotal moment came when the Hawks were up by four points. After a turnover on the previous play, Young managed to recover the ball and successfully hit a remarkable 39-foot 3-pointer, extending the Hawks’ lead to 129-122 with just 1:23 remaining in the game.
A noteworthy statistic was that Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels led the league in steals, averaging 3.13 per game. It’s noteworthy that no player has maintained an average of over three steals per game for an entire season since Milwaukee’s Alvin Robertson achieved 3.04 in 1990-91.
Looking ahead, the teams are set to face off again during a “Black Friday” NBA Cup showdown in Atlanta. Currently, the Hawks stand at 2-1 and are tied for first place in Group C, while the Cavaliers, with their record of 1-1, have two remaining games in pool play.