CNN
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The Atlanta Hawks and the Utah Jazz played out an incredible closing few seconds on Tuesday night, but it was Atlanta’s Trae Young who had the last word with a remarkable, game-winning buzzer-beater from beyond halfcourt.
Young’s 50-foot heave gave the Hawks a 124-121 win over the Jazz and came just moments after Collin Sexton’s three-pointer had leveled the score at 121-121 with just 2.9 seconds remaining.
Young finished the game with 24 points and 20 assists, while registering just two turnovers.
Ironically, however, Young’s long-range effort came at the end of a game in which he shot poorly from deep, going just two-of-nine from three-point range before he made the game-winner.
“When there’s time left, I always feel like we can score,” Young said, per ESPN. “I knew we had three seconds. I could take a couple of dribbles and be closer to halfcourt and then I made sure I used my legs and put some air into the ball and that was important.”
The Hawks opened up an early 14-point lead in the first quarter in Salt Lake City, before extending their advantage to 16 in the second.
But the Jazz, who hold the fifth-worst record in the NBA, rallied impressively to make it a back-and-forth game for most of the second half.
Young scored 10 of his 24 points and made two of his three three-pointers in the fourth quarter, showcasing all of his clutch abilities.
The star guard’s 20-assist night led to seven Hawks players hitting double figures, including 18 points for Clint Capela and 17 for De’Andre Hunter.
“He has taken a lot of pride in being efficient and knowing when it is time to give the ball up and when it’s time to impress himself on the game from a scoring standpoint,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said of Young.
For the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen hit a season-high eight triples as he finished with a game-high 35 points.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Hawks, who occupy the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 19-18 record and next travel to face the struggling Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
The Jazz, meanwhile, are now 9-26 for the season and sit 14th in the Western Conference.
Away @ home (winners in bold)
Houston Rockets 135-112 Washington Wizards
Phoenix Suns 104-115 Charlotte Hornets
Los Angeles Lakers 97-118 Dallas Mavericks
Minnesota Timberwolves 104-97 New Orleans Pelicans
Atlanta Hawks 124-121 Utah Jazz
Miami Heat 114-98 Golden State Warriors
Boston Celtics 118-106 Denver Nuggets