Trae Young’s 3-pointer with eight seconds left in overtime propelled the Atlanta Hawks to a 134-132 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Young led the Hawks with 31 points and 20 assists, followed by 26 points from De’Andre Hunter (on 5-of-7 shooting from 3). With 20 from Bogdan Bogdanović and 15 from Onyeka Okongwu, Atlanta scored 65 points from their 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 consecutive game despite LeBron James scoring 39 points as part of a triple-double with 10 rebounds and 11 assists. James also had two steals and three blocks. Additionally, he was 6 of 10 on 3-pointers after making one on Wednesday against 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 the 134-93 loss to Miami and triple-double. of 39 points on Friday. However, the Lakers have lost seven of their last nine games, leaving them in 10th place 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 back and each team traded leads in the fourth. The Hawks took a 119-117 lead with 27 seconds left in regulation on a 3-pointer by Hunter. But James tied the game with a layup with 12.2 seconds left to force overtime.
In overtime, Anthony Davis hit a jumper with 42 seconds left to take a 132-129 lead. But two Jalen Johnson free throws cut the margin to one point, leading to Young’s game-winning 3-pointer. Johnson finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Davis nearly tied James with 38 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Dalton Knecht added 14, while Gabe Vincent and Rui Hachimura scored 12 points.
Next up for the Lakers is returning home to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. The Hawks host the Denver Nuggets, also on Sunday.