With a 129-121 victory vs. the Lakers Sunday at State Farm Arena, the Hawks (24-25) remain the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, their win streak now up to seven games.
Atlanta moves to 24-25, its five-game homestand continuing when they host the Raptors Monday.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 36 points and 12 assists for a double-double, with John Collins adding 20 points, 11 rebounds and three steals, but the Hawks still entered the fourth quarter trailing the Lakers 101-91 after a rough end to the third quarter. They responded with a strong fourth and got timely plays from second-year center Onyeka Okongwu to polish off the win, ultimately winning the final period 38-20.
Malik Monk led the Lakers (24-27) with 33 points, going 8-for-14 from 3-point range, with Anthony Davis adding 27 points and Russell Westbrook adding 20 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. LeBron James missed this game with left knee soreness/effusion.
Until a free-throw by Danilo Gallinari with 4.5 seconds left in the third, which came after a technical foul for Carmelo Anthony, the Hawks hadn’t scored since a dunk by Clint Capela (15 points, nine rebounds, three assists) at the 3:20 mark.
But, a bench unit of Lou Williams, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Gallinari and Okongwu plus Young found a rhythm in the fourth quarter, with a dunk by Okongwu (Bogdanovic with the assist), layup by Young and 3-pointer by Williams gave the Hawks a 107-106 lead with 7:26 to play. The Hawks’ bench has been clutch on this win streak, and that continued Sunday, tallying 44 points.
Okongwu ended up with 16 points, 12 of that coming in the fourth.
A 3-pointer by Young gave the Hawks a four-point lead with 53.1 seconds to go. Young and Bogdanovic combined to go 4-for-4 from the line in the final minute, despite the Hawks overall struggling at the line (65.6%, or 21-for-32).
Despite a disappointing 17-25 start to the season, which dipped the Hawks down to No. 12 in the Eastern Conference standings, they’re starting to turn the season around by getting hot at the right time.
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