Great shooters are said to have short memories and that, despite previous misses, they always think that the next shot will go in. Trae Young is of this caliber. The Hawks leader was not successful in Utah. But he saved the best for last to crucify Jazz at the last second.
In a final action as crazy as it was confusing, Collin Sexton was able to equalize at 121 with a big 3-point shot while Utah was on the verge of losing the ball. Without a timeout, Atlanta had no choice but to go back under its basket and rely on a helping hand from Providence, in addition to Trae Young's wrist.
« I'm a competitor, a lot of guys on this team are » responded Trae Young. “ Collin is too, he's from Atlanta so I knew he wanted to win tonight. He had a great game, he made a big shot and I just wanted to get the ball behind me and try to shoot myself. God then did what He did. »
God was visibly on the side of the Hawks in the fourth quarter, with a 7/11 from afar, including 2/2 for the hero of the evening. Trae Young, however, started very timidly, with a first shot scored after more than 18 minutes and five points at the break. But he recovered well with more aggressiveness after the locker room, launching with 7/8 on shots in the third quarter, then 3/4 on shots in the last, the buzzer beater as a bonus.
Third 20-20 of the season
« We were out of time, three seconds I think. I wanted us to take the throw-in quickly, I tried to tell Dyson (Daniels) to take the throw-in as quickly as possible hoping to be able to send a shot. We trained for these kinds of shoots when we were kids, for fun. I'm just really happy that I had the opportunity to do it tonight and make us win. »
Without success, Trae Young had the merit of not pushing too hard, placing more emphasis on distribution for his teammates. For the third time this season, the Hawks leader reached the 20 assist mark, for 50 points scored by Atlanta on Tuesday, 74 including his personal total. The leader was able to accurately read the traps and catches proposed by Jazz, for only two lost balls.
« When he passes the ball, he gives confidence to his teammates. You see it with some players, even if they miss their shot behind » assured coach Quin Snyder. “ Trae takes great pride in being efficient, knowing when to release the ball, and when to score. It's a process. He plays more with screens, in pick-and-rolls with guys like De'Andre Hunter, not just Clint Capela or Onyeka Okongwu. He was asked to pick up the pace in transition as quickly as possible, which was not a habit for him despite his speed. »
With his fourth “double double-double” game (at least 20 points and 20 assists), Trae Young is getting closer to the historic Top 5 in the league, one step behind Isiah Thomas, and a good distance from the master in this field , Magic Johnson (13). However, he still has 45 matches to equal or surpass a record in this area held by Isiah Thomas, author of five such matches in a single season (1984/85).
