Trae Young, Hawks break franchise record in massive Cavs takedown
Yesterday at 10:26 PM
The Atlanta Hawks are starting to return to full strength and the league better be on the lookout for what this young Hawks squad can achieve moving forward. On Wednesday night, the Hawks have once again put the league on notice after becoming just the second team to beat the powerhouse Cleveland Cavaliers this season, with Trae Young’s incredible 20-point and 22-assist performance being at the heart of their 135-124 victory.
As the old NBA adage goes, a team can only go as far as its best player takes them — especially when teams tend to take after the identity of their star man. The Hawks are certainly taking after Young’s unselfish playmaking identity, and they reaped the rewards of it in the form of a victory over the Cavs as a result.
In fact, in their win over the Cavs, the Hawks recorded 39 assists as a team on 49 made field-goals; this marks the 11th consecutive game in which they tallied at least 25 assists as a team. According to Hawks PR on X (formerly Twitter), this is the longest 25-assist streak in franchise history.
The last time the Hawks recorded 25 or more assists in 10 consecutive games was all the way back in 1961, when Bob Pettit and Lenny Wilkens were still the top dogs of the team. Just to put in perspective how long ago that is, Young’s father, Rayford, wouldn’t be born until 16 years later from that point.
There is nothing better in basketball than when the ball is moving around, eschewing good shots in exchange for better ones. The Hawks are taking this to heart, and they deserve plenty of credit for being the only team this season thus far to beat both the Cavs and Boston Celtics — two of the biggest threats in the Eastern Conference.
Watch out for the soaring Hawks
At full strength, the Hawks are looking like a legitimate playoff squad, especially in the weak Eastern Conference. They certainly showed how deadly they can be in their big win over the Cavs on Wednesday.
Seven Hawks players scored in double-figures, with De’Andre Hunter, who’s coming off the bench, leading the way with 26 points. Jalen Johnson continued his Most Improved Player surge with a 22-9-7 night, while Dyson Daniels more than made up for his bad shooting night with his work on the boards as well as his ability to rack up defensive stats.
If the Hawks can get some better consistency, then they should emerge as a winning team in no time.
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