Trae played the hero once again.
The Atlanta Hawks snapped their eight-game losing streak with a 132-130 victory against the Detroit Pistons. The long skid had been a tough stretch for the Hawks, as they struggled with injuries, inconsistent play, and defensive breakdowns.
Coming into this game, pressure was mounting, with both the players and coaching staff emphasizing the importance of stopping the slide before it derailed their season.
“Since December 28th, we’ve had seven days where we’ve been at home and not played a game,” said head coach Quin Snyder. “So, that’s a heck of a stretch. You’re either traveling, you’re playing on the road or you’re playing a game. So what I’m getting to is over a period of time like that, for us to be able to finish this road trip with a win, it’s really a big win.”
“You don’t win this game if you don’t have a level of resilience,” he continued. “Whether it be coming off the Indiana game where we were really competitive but didn’t make plays down the stretch. Or tonight, where it was just back and forth the whole way. So, it was good to see our guys [play well enough to win].”
Despite a strong performance, the game remained close until the final minutes.
A now famous late game three-pointer, by Trae Young of course, helped seal the victory, quieting the crowd and putting the game out of reach.
Trae had 34 points and nine assists on the night. Deandre Hunter had 20 points while Dyson Daniel added 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Zaccharie Risacher scored 17 points and Onyeka Okongwu added 12 points along with eight rebounds. The starting five all scored in double figures to help end the streak in a balanced effort.