CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young took a knee to the face, then returned to deliver a knockout blow to the Charlotte Hornets.
Young turned in perhaps his most complete game of the season with 30 points, nine assists and six rebounds Sunday night as the Hawks won 122-107 for their second victory in three games after a string of 10 straight losses.
“I thought I was going to be out forever,” a fat-lipped Young said about the blow. “But I just cut my lip though. It felt worse than it looks.”
Jabari Parker added 19 points and Vince Carter had 17 off the bench on 7-of-9 shooting to help the Hawks improve to 6-17. Atlanta center Alex Len finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds and played a big role while helping turn the tide of the game in the third quarter.
It was Young who provided the daggers, though.
He had 20 points in the second half, including 14 in the fourth quarter as the Hawks blew open a game in which they trailed at halftime.
This was Young’s 10th 30-point game of the season, but only the second time the Hawks have won when he has reached that scoring plateau.
“I love it whenever we win – that’s all that matters to me,” Young said. “If I play good and we win, I feel great. Play good and we lose, I’m mad.”
Said Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce: “I thought that was his best game of the year. He had leadership on both side of the floor. He was engaged. He was yelling out their plays and barking to us. When you’re locked in on both side of the ball and leading your team – I just thought it was his best game as a floor general.”
The 7-foot Len scored 11 points in the third quarter after being shut out in the first half. He played aggressively, scoring on a 3 from the top of the key and a pick-and-roll dunk from Carter, and he was strong on the offensive glass, helping give the Hawks a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
From there, Young took over as the Hawks broke open the game with a 19-8 run to start the period. Young was 5-of-7 from the field in the final frame, making two 3-pointers.
The Hawks’ DeAndre Hunter returned after missing a game because of a dislocated right index finger. He had 10 points and five assists.
Atlanta’s backups outscored Charlotte’s 57-36.
The 42-year-old Carter showed he still has what it takes to bring the crowd to its feet.
Returning to North Carolina, where he played college ball, he always gets a little more amped. He made one move to the basket and finished with his left hand, drawing “ooohs” from the crowd.
“I mean the stuff he did today was unbelievable,” Len said. “He had steals, was making moves, spin and step back, making 3s. It was just great to see. When he was playing that way, we all just picked it up and played with it like it was contagious.”
Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington each had 20 points to lead the Hornets, who have lost three of four during a five-game homestand.
Washington left Sunday’s game midway through the fourth after rolling his right ankle on a drive. Its unclear if he will miss any time.
“I just thought we were going through the motions in the second half,” Washington said. “It felt like we could have put them away, but we just let them hang around, they got on a run and started making shots and they just put us away.”
Charlotte’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has spent the majority of the season on the bench, but he got his most extensive action against the Hawks and scored seven points in nearly 23 minutes.
“I was giving MKG a look,” Hornets coach James Borrego said of the former No. 2 draft pick. “He’s the one guy that has stayed ready. He’s working, and I went with him tonight instead of Nic (Batum). That’s where we’re at.”
Batum, the team’s highest-paid player at more than $20 million per season, did not play at all.