Trae Young’s 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining in overtime pushed the Atlanta Hawks to a 134-132 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
It spoiled an outstanding night by LeBron James on the other side.
Young led the Hawks with 31 points and 20 assists, followed by 26 points from De’Andre Hunter (with 5-of-7 shooting from 3). With Bogdan Bogdanović’s 20 and Onyeka Okongwu scoring 15, Atlanta got 65 points from its bench. Dyson Daniels added four steals with 11 points.
Atlanta has won six games in a row, improving its record to 13-11 and fifth place 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 notched two steals and three blocks. Additionally, he shot 6-of-10 on 3-pointers after making one on Wednesday versus the Miami Heat to break a streak of 20 straight 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 defeat to Miami and Friday’s triple-double. However, the Lakers have lost seven of their past nine games, dropping them to No. 10 in the Western Conference with a 12-11 record.
Both teams were tied 64-64 at halftime, but the Lakers eventually took a 77-66 lead in the third quarter. Atlanta fought its way back with the teams trading leads in the fourth. The Hawks took a 119-117 lead with 27 seconds remaining in regulation on a 3 by Hunter. But James tied the game on layup 12.2 seconds left to force overtime.
In overtime, Anthony Davis hit a jumper with 42 seconds remaining for a 132-129 lead. But two Jalen Johnson free throws 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.
Up next for the Lakers is a return home for a matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. The Hawks host the Denver Nuggets, also on Sunday.
