Hawks-giving: Young dishes 22 assists, tops Cavs

CLEVELAND — The NBA’s leader in assists handed Cleveland a rare loss.

Trae Young had a career-high 22 assists — the most in the NBA this season — and scored 20 points as the Atlanta Hawks handed Cleveland just its second loss this season, beating the Cavaliers 135-124 on Thursday night.

The Cavs, which built an early 19-point lead against the Hawks, fell to 17-2 and lost for the first time in 11 home games.

One of the game’s deepest shooters, Young also made a 39-foot 3-pointer in the final two minutes as the Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak and got their second major road win after knocking off the champion Celtics in Boston on Nov. 12.

Young’s assist total was one better than the 21 recorded by New Orleans guard Elfrid Payton earlier this week against Indiana. It was also just one shy of the Hawks’ team record held by Mookie Blaylock, who got 23 assists on March 6, 1993 against Utah.

“He threw himself into the game,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said of Young, who came into the game averaging 11.9 assists. “The biggest thing is he just moved the ball, and he forced guys to run. He gave guys opportunities in the open court and he trusted his teammates.”

Young picked up eight assists in the fourth quarter as the Hawks outplayed the Cavs down the stretch.

Young fed teammate De’Andre Hunter for two baskets, Dyson Daniels for another and made two free throws to put the Hawks up 126-118. Moments later, Young lost the handle and Ty Jerome‘s 3-pointer pulled the Cavs within 126-122.

Young nearly gave it away again, but after corralling the loose ball, he drilled his 3-pointer just inside the half-court logo to put Atlanta ahead by seven.

“I couldn’t let my team down twice in a row, so I had to make the play,” said Young. “I think when I got the ball back I still had 10 seconds left, so I had a little time to make a play and that’s what happened.”

The bucket silenced Cleveland’s rocking crowd.

And if they needed any reminder, Young reminded them to be quiet by pressing his index finger to his mouth.

The Hawks have grown accustomed to Young coming through in the clutch. The three-time All-Star has a knack for big moments, and while his ability to launch 3-pointers is often the focus, his passing game is often overlooked.

“For the smallest guy on the floor, he sees it really well,” said Hunter, who finished with 26 points. “He makes on-time passes, usually where guys can shoot it and we made a lot of shots tonight.”

Snyder said Young’s leadership late in the game was as vital as anything.

“I really liked the way we and he reacted to being down,” Snyder said. “Just keeping his poise, that’s always been a point of emphasis with Trae.”

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and Evan Mobley added 22 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland, which was trying to become the first team to start 18-1 or better.

Mitchell had his 58th game with at least 30 points for the Cavaliers, tying World B. Free for second in franchise history behind LeBron James (324), according to ESPN Research.

Atlanta, which won its third game this season after trailing by double-digits, made a season-high 20 3-pointers in the game. It was the Hawks’ largest road comeback win since Nov. 2, 2022 vs. the Knicks (trailed by 23).

Young set franchise marks with his second 20-20 game as well as becoming the first player in team history to have more than 20 assists in a game multiple times, according to ESPN Research,

Following the game, Young came into the media room cradling a basketball as if he was protecting it on a drive.

As he wrapped up his availability, Young was asked if he knew he had just set a career-best in assists.

“I didn’t until just now. Thank you,” he said.

The teams meet again Friday in an NBA Cup game in Atlanta. The Hawks (2-1) are tied for first in Group C while the Cavs (1-1) have two games left in pool play.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.