Trae Young scores 41 in homecoming as Hawks top Thunder

For as soon as, Trae Younger did not must play his common function of villain on the highway.

Younger had 41 factors and eight assists in a heat homecoming, and his Atlanta Hawks rolled previous the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder 136-118 on Wednesday evening.

Younger, who grew up in Norman and performed on the College of Oklahoma for one season, made 13 of 24 subject objectives and 11 of 12 free throws in three quarters of motion. He placed on a present for a crowd that began cheering for him throughout pregame introductions and saved it going all through the sport.

“It’s totally different, for positive,” Younger stated. “I don’t get that fairly often. However I do know there’s a whole lot of Sooner Nation love in right here, lots of people who grew up watching me play at Norman North Excessive Faculty and issues like that.”

Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic every scored 20 factors for the Hawks, who gained their third straight and strengthened their maintain on the No. 10 spot within the Japanese Convention standings. Atlanta is averaging 129.7 factors in the course of the win streak.

Lindy Waters III scored a career-high 25 factors and tied a Thunder rookie report with seven 3-pointers.

Younger and Waters have been highschool teammates at Norman North and rivals when Younger performed for Oklahoma and Waters performed for Oklahoma State.

“It’s loopy,” Younger stated. “It’s form of surreal, to be sincere with you. Rising up — we’ve identified one another since first, second grade. All the time enjoying with one another, competing towards one another in faculty. We’re each very related so far as aggressive nature.”

Younger and Waters met and talked at midcourt after the sport.

“It was a very cool second, for positive,” Waters stated. “I haven’t actually acquired to have a dialog with him for some time — at the very least since highschool. It was all love. Nice to see him doing massive issues. However two youngsters from Norman assembly again up within the league — it’s superb.”

Theo Maledon added 18 factors and eight assists for the Thunder.

Oklahoma Metropolis solely had eight gamers obtainable. The staff just lately shut down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (sore proper ankle), Josh Giddey (sore proper hip) and Darius Bazley (fractured proper knee) for the season and had already shut down Lu Dort (left shoulder surgical procedure).

“We knew that they have been with out a whole lot of their guys, however we would have liked to ship a message to ourselves to play this sport the fitting method and be targeted and construct off of what we’ve completed in the previous couple of video games,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan stated. “We are able to see the tip now, and each sport, it’s vital that you just construct that rhythm, you discover that rhythm.”

Younger made his first 5 photographs. He scored 19 factors within the first quarter to assist the Hawks take a 42-24 lead.

The Hawks rolled within the second quarter and led 85-58 at halftime. It was a season excessive for factors in a half for Atlanta. Younger scored 30 earlier than the break on 9-of-13 capturing.

Atlanta hit 100 factors with simply over six minutes remaining within the third quarter. Younger’s last level got here on a free throw within the closing seconds of the third after he was fouled on a made floater.

TIP-INS

Hawks: Shot 61.7% from the sphere within the first half and 63.2% from 3-point vary. … Had simply 4 turnovers within the first half. … F/C Onyeka Okongwu grabbed 13 rebounds.

Thunder: Waters scored 14 factors within the first half. … Aleksej Pokusevski had 13 factors and eight rebounds.

QUOTABLE

Huerter, on wins over the Pacers and Thunder: “Clearly, we’d like them. This was a highway journey the place each groups have been behind us within the standings, each groups I suppose weren’t trying to win and two video games that we would have liked to get. We got here out right here, and the mindset the final two video games was proper.”

BIG HURT

Huerter has scored at the very least 20 factors in three straight video games after posting simply 5 such video games beforehand this season. Throughout the stretch, he’s averaging 20.7 factors on 57.5% capturing from the sphere. He has taken benefit of extra scoring alternatives with John Collins (sprained finger, strained proper foot) and Danilo Gallinari (bruised proper elbow) out.

UP NEXT

Hawks: Host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.

Thunder: Host the Detroit Pistons on Friday.