ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks seemed to be a team on the rise when they made an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference final in 2021.
It proved to be a mirage.
What followed was three seasons of infuriating mediocrity, which returned the Hawks to the sort of middle-of-the-pack purgatory that has been a familiar spot through most of their existence.
Now, with a more defensive-minded approach and a roster that runs eight or nine deep, Atlanta is again showing signs of promise.
The Hawks beat LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 134-132 in overtime Friday night for their sixth straight victory — Atlanta's longest winning streak in nearly three years.
“The challenge of this is don’t get comfortable,” said Young, who hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds remaining. “It’s easy to get comfortable after you win a few games and feel good about yourself.”
Young had a huge night with 31 points and 20 assists, helping offset a 39-point performance by LeBron James and 38 points from Anthony Davis.
But the big key to the Hawks' recent success — which includes earning a spot in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup — has been those around Young.
Seven Hawks were in double figures against the Lakers, including three players coming off the bench. Former starter De'Andre Hunter has settled comfortably into a sixth-man role since returning from an ailing knee, scoring 26 points and drawing a double team that freed up Young for the winning 3.
“This wasn’t the first night that it’s been like this,” Young pointed out. "Even in some of our losses, we had a lot of guys scoring, so we've just gotta keep it going. Now that we've got guys healthy, we've found a little rhythm.”
After Hunter went down in the opening week of the season, the Hawks moved No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher into the starting lineup.
While the 19-year-old Frenchmen is still a work in progress, bringing Hunter off the bench is working out just fine. He is averaging more than 19 points a game while continuing to be one of the team's best players at the defensive end.
Then there's Dyson Daniels, who was acquired in a blockbuster trade that sent Dejounte Murray to New Orleans Pelicans and seemed a sign that the Hawks were going into rebuilding mode.
While Daniels didn't do much during his time in the Big Easy, the 6-foot-8 guard with lanky arms that make him seem even taller, has give the Hawks another defensive stopper. He came up with two huge plays in the waning seconds of overtime, starting with a steal on a lazy bounce pass from Davis to James.
That one didn't produce points, as James hustled back to make a soaring block on Daniels driving to the hoop, giving the ball back to the Lakers.
But Daniels wasn't done. He helped tie up the taller Davis for a jump ball, and the Hawks wound up with one last shot when James tipped the ball out of bounds while scrambling with Hunter for possession,
Young made the Lakers pay.
“It's just effort," Hunter said. “That's what Dyson does. That's how he plays. I feel like I play the same way. At the end of the game, we need some plays, defensive plays, and me and Dyson being the premier defensive guys on the team, we have to make those plays.”
The Hawks still must prove this recent surge isn't just another tease.
“The challenge for us going forward,” Young said, “is how do we continue to do what we’ve been doing and getting stops and letting the offensive side take care of itself and play through each other?”
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Paul Newberry, The Associated Press
