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IMAGE: DraftKings Nation
UNSTOPPABLE YOUNG LEADS HAWKS PAST SHORT-HANDED CLIPPERS
Star Point Guard Trae Young scored 38 points and 5 assists and the Atlanta Hawks beat the depleted Los Angeles Clippers 108-99 snapping their eight game winning streak.
Young who missed the team’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, wasted no time making his usual impact, scoring 12 of his 38 in the fourth quarter including a 32 foot bomb to ice the game.
The emerging De’Andre Hunter scored 22 points, while the team’s leading rebounder Clint Capela was a major presence scoring 13 points, pulling down 18 rebounds.
Veteran Point Guard Reggie Jackson continuing to start in the place of pesky stopper Patrick Beverley (knee soreness) had a team-high 20 points along with 8 assists with the side without superstars Kawhi Leonard (Health and Safety Protocols) and Paul George (hamstring).
In the first half, both sides found scoring difficult with driving lanes to the basket being well protected forcing one another to shoot from distance or from mid-range.
The tight tussle would carry into the fourth, until Atlanta grabbed the ascendency with Young playing a major role as he, Hunter and deadeye shooter Kevin Huerter swished home triples late to put the game out of the Clippers reach.
WALL AND ROCKETS PULL BY WIZARDS
Dynamic Point Guard John Wall had 24 points, 5 assists, while Victor Oladipo and Eric Gordon each scored 20 as the Houston Rockets defeated the Washington Wizards 107-88.
Wall playing against his former team for the first time since being traded after spending 10 years in Washington put on a display looking his former self pre-Achilles injury.
His former backcourt partner Bradley Beal top-scored for the Wizards with 33 points, while Russell Westbrook who was traded for Wall had 19 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists.
After a close three quarters, Houston would pull away.
When Westbrook made a jumper to close the lead to 83-79, the Rockets went on a burst closing out the last 8:12 of the contest on a 24-9 run, which Oladipo had 10 points in that period.
Houston for the first time this season have won three straight and are 4-3 since trading away long-time franchise player James Harden to Brooklyn.
In the other game in the Association:
The Utah Jazz led by Royce O’Neale’s career-high 20 pulled by the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter to win 108-94 for its ninth straight victory.
Mike Conley had 19 points, 5 assists while the team’s defensive anchor Rudy Gobert posted 18 points and 19 rebounds for his 12th double-double this season.
Austin Rivers led the Knicks with 25 points including five threes, while the consistent Julius Randle put together a solid outing with 18 points and 10 rebounds as the team concluded 1-3 on its four-game Western trip.
Utah trailed for most of the opening half by double-digits until rallying in the third, before clamping down New York holding the blue and orange to only 13 fourth quarter points.
By Juri Bilcich