Atlanta Hawks: 6 Takeaways from 133-111 Win Over Cavaliers

Taurean Prince with a Scary Fall

Taurean Prince, who had a streak of 6 straight games with 20 or more points going, fell hard in the 2nd quarter after going up for a layup and getting fouled. He landed awkwardly on his shoulder, though he did not leave the game. Prince returned in the second half wearing a sleeve on his arm, but it did seem as if the fall affected him. His jump shot, which has looked amazing so far this season, did not have the same trademark crispness we’ve seen in recent years, which is not good, so Taurean’s health is definitely something to monitor going forward this season.

Bravura Performance from Trae Young

There is no question that the headliner of this game was the incredible performance of rookie point guard Trae Young, who was absolutely feeling it in this contest. A highly touted matchup between two lottery picks, Young thoroughly outplayed Collin Sexton on this night – as well as any other player on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Young scored 35 points on 13 of 23 shooting, 4 of 8 from three and logged his first career double-double with an additional 11 assists. Young was carving up a rather lackluster Cavs’ defensive performance, and his three-point stroke was absolutely aflame.

A stunning effort from our point guard of the future, as he silenced doubters and ended up as the first rookie with a 30+ point game this season. Not bad at all.