Saturday’s seven-game slate were mostly blowouts, except two. One was an OT thriller that saw both teams make big play after big play, while the other was a heavyweight showdown that went down the wire.
Here is a recap of Saturday’s notables around the Association:
Hawks Ice Lakers Behind 30-20 from Trae Young
Trae Young capped off his 31-point, 20-assist double-double with a pressure-packed game-winning three at the end of overtime to push the Atlanta Hawks (13-11) past the Los Angeles Lakers (12-11), 134-132, at State Farm Arena.
Young’s go-ahead triple was a fitting end to a thrilling back-and-forth that saw 36 lead changes and sensational performances all around—including De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic, who scored 26 and 20, respectively, off the Hawks bench. Jalen Johnson added 12 points and 10 boards.
LeBron James had 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists but missed what would have been the game-winning three at the buzzer. Anthony Davis chipped in 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 dimes.
(Up next: Hawks vs. Denver Nuggets, Lakers vs. Portland Trailblazers on December 9)
Celtics Stop Bucks in Heavyweight Showdown
The Boston Celtics (19-4) and Milwaukee Bucks (11-11) were preseason favorites in the East, and with the latter picking up their game, Saturday’s showdown became a hard-fought battle. In the end, the Celtics overcame the Bucks, 111-105, at TD Garden behind big buckets from Al Horford and Jrue Holiday down the stretch.
Horford, who finished with 8 points and 9 rebounds, drilled a trey to give the Cs breathing room with less than two minutes in the game, while Holiday added a floater to make it 107-102.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Jaylen Brown added 25 markers. Damian Lillard poured in 31 points for the Bucks on top of 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and 12 boards.
(Up next: Celtics vs. Memphis Grizzlies on December 8 and Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets on December 9)
Wolves Devour Warriors Even with Stephen Curry’s Return
Anthony Edwards dropped 30 points and 9 assists to help the Minnesota Timberwolves (12-10) to a 107-90 rout of the Golden State Warriors (13-9) at Chase Center.
The Wolves used a strong second frame to build their first double-digit lead and never looked back after, dealing the Warriors their sixth loss in seven games. All Minnesota starters finished in double-digits, with Rudy Gobert adding 17 points and 11 rebounds and Julius Randle chipping in 16 points and 9 rebounds.
Steph Curry, who missed the Warriors’ win over the Houston Rockets, finished with 23 markers and 4 dimes. Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins added 13 and 11, respectively.
(Up next: Rematch on December 9)
