SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — After imposing his will on offense for four quarters, Atlanta’s Trae Young still had one play left in him with the final seconds ticking off the clock.
Young heaved a buzzer-beating 49-foot 3-pointer from just behind the halfcourt line to give the Hawks a 124-121 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. The dramatic shot capped a game in which Young had 24 points and 20 assists while committing only two turnovers.
His game-winner followed of a tying 3-pointer by Utah’s Collin Sexton with four seconds left.
“When there’s time left, I always feel like we can score,” Young said.
Young, the Hawks’ franchise leader in assists and made 3-pointers, put on a clinic on how to control a game. He dished out seven assists before scoring his first basket in the second quarter. Behind his sure hand, Atlanta built a 16-point first-half lead before Utah rallied and forced a tight finish.
“This is part of what I do,” Young said. “I always get guys involved, always been able to find people. I feel like I’m the kind of guy who can pass you open. You don’t just have to be open for me to get you the ball. I can see things and get you into a good spot.”
Young’s winner was the highlight of a series of big plays he made down the stretch.
After the Jazz took a 114-113 lead on the second of back-to-back dunks by Walker Kessler, Young scored a step-back 3-pointer to reclaim the lead and then fed De’Andre Hunter for another go-ahead 3 a minute later. Then, Young hit a pair of free throws with 8.8 seconds left.
“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 coach Quin Snyder said.
Young needed only a couple of dribbles and a halfcourt heave to make that impression a lasting one. He felt confident the shot would be right on target from the moment he took the inbounds pass and up to when he released the ball.
“I knew we had three seconds,” Young said. “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.”
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