Monday 22 October 2018 13:53, UK
Trae Young enjoyed the best game of his fledgling NBA career to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 133-111 win over the Cavaliers in Cleveland.
Young connected on six three-pointers and piled up 35 points as the Hawks claimed their first win of the season and condemned the Cavaliers to an 0-3 start to the post-LeBron James era.
The rookie, selected fifth in this year's NBA Draft, also chipped in with 11 assists which all came after a slow start saw him miss four of his first five shots.
He caught fire in the second period, hitting six of seven shots as Atlanta erased an early deficit against a Cavaliers squad which has struggled badly on defense in all three of its games so far.
Kevin Love managed 16 points and 17 rebounds for the home side, but he struggled with his shot again, hitting only 6-of-19 from the floor and missing all but one of eight three-point attempts.
But it was their collapse in the final 12 minutes which will be of most concern to coach Tyronn Lue, with the Hawks finding open shots at will from beyond the arc.
They connected on seven three-pointers in seven minutes, taking their tally to 10 by the final buzzer, with Kent Bazemore able to pad his points tally to 23.
Atlanta also proved more stout on defense with Alex Len enjoying his best performance of the season - 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Young's reward? An icy shower from team-mates after the game along with coach Lloyd Pierce after their respective first victories in the NBA.
"It was super cold," a smiling Young, 20, said. "I thought it would just be coach Pierce because he had his first win, but it was all right. I'll take it."
"Trae is fearless," Bazemore added of his young team-mate. "Even in the practices earlier in the summer he came in and established himself right away.
"That's what you have to respect. A young guy that comes in, he's not bashful, he's not shy and who has that kind of calibre talent, he's going to have ups and downs. I'm proud of him as a team-mate."
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