Trae Young’s 3-pointer with eight seconds left in overtime lifted the Atlanta Hawks to a 134-132 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
A great night was spoiled by LeBron James on the other side.
Young led the Hawks with 31 points and 20 assists, followed by De’Andre Hunter with 26 points (on 5-of-7 shooting from 3). With Bogdan Bogdanović’s 20 points and Onyek Okongwu’s 15 goals, Atlanta got 65 points from its bench. Dyson Daniels added four steals with 11 points.
Atlanta has won six straight games, improving to 13-11 and fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Lakers lost their third straight game despite LeBron James scoring a triple-double of 39 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists. James also recorded two steals and three blocks. He also shot 6-of-10 on 3-pointers after snapping a 20-game streak from beyond the arc on Wednesday against the Miami Heat.
Since scoring a season-low 10 points in Monday’s 109-80 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, James rebounded with a 29-point effort in a 134-93 loss to Miami and a triple-double on Friday. But the Lakers have lost seven of their last nine games, dropping to 10th place in the Western Conference with a 12-11 record.
Both teams were tied 64-64 at halftime, but the Lakers finally took the lead 77-66 in the third quarter. Atlanta fought back with teams trading leads in the fourth. The Hawks took a 119-117 lead with 27 seconds left in regulation on a 3 by Hunter. But James tied the game with 12.2 seconds left in overtime to force overtime.
In overtime, Anthony Davis hit a jumper with 42 seconds left for a 132-129 lead. But Jalen Johnson’s two free throws cut the deficit 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 game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. The Hawks also host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.