The Atlanta Hawks got another big win against the Miami Heat on Saturday. And while it came without Jimmy Butler on the floor, the Hawks and Heat had yet another battle.
Hawks star Trae Young continued his scoring struggles against the Heat. But this time, he was able to lean on teammates De’Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson to put the Heat away and notch a third straight victory.
“All Star my dawgs,” Young posted on X on December 28. “D Hunt X JJ !!!”
Johnson finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks on the night. Hunter poured in 26-5-2 and 1 steal off the bench.
Both players have been essential to the Hawks’ having their surge in recent weeks. For Johnson, it is his fourth straight double-double and his 18th of the season. He had 16 double-doubles in all of 2023-24.
Hunter entered the night leading all bench scorers and finished the same way.
The league recently opened up voting for All-Star weekend, and fans can help push Hunter, Johnson, and Young through to San Francisco.
Young finished the night with 11 points, shooting 23.1% overall and going 2-for-9 from beyond the arc. But he also dished out 15 assists to just three turnovers and showed smart decision-making down the stretch.
This is not the first Young has stumped for his teammates to receive the recognition.
Trae Young full of praise for Hawks teammates
“We need big moments from certain guys, and Dre has been doing great for us,” Young told reporters about Hunter’s clutch triple against the Chicago Bulls on December 26. “That's Sixth Man of the Year right there too. So we got a couple of guys that can win some awards if we keep winning.”
Young also had high praise for rookie No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Rischer, who has not always shot the ball well but finds other ways to make an impact, following that game.
“Zacch's been playing unbelievable. The more we continue to win, the more he continues to play like this, the more those Rookie of the Year talks will start going in his favor,” Young said. “I hope we continue to win and push Zacch into that Rookie of the Year conversation. If he plays like this, he's going to have that. That energy he had tonight, being upset with certain calls, that just shows how much you care about the game.”
The Hawks will not get much time to revel in their winning streak.
They complete a back-to-back tomorrow by traveling to face the Toronto Raptors to start a six-game road trip. It includes stops to face the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, Utah Jazz, and Phoenix Suns.