Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young called game in the most incredible way Tuesday against the Utah Jazz.
Jazz guard Collin Sexton had just tied up the game at 121-121 with a clutch triple with 2.9 seconds left at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. With the Hawks out of timeouts, the contest looked headed for overtime.
But Young had other ideas. The Hawks All-Star took two dribbles toward the halfcourt line and pulled up for a shot right in Sexton’s face. You already know what happened next.
Young probably had dinner plans and didn’t want to keep his guests waiting. Had the game gone into overtime, he and his friends might have had to give up their dinner reservation.
The shot was officially listed as a 49-footer. NBA stars like Young take halfcourt shots in practice all the time. But it’s one thing to nail it in an empty arena. It’s another thing entirely to hit it with a game on the line in front of thousands of hostile fans.
The 26-year-old had a monstrous stat line of 24 points and 20 assists on 6-of-16 shooting. He was just 2-of-9 from three-point range before hitting the deep shot that sealed the Hawks’ 124-121 win. The result also got the Hawks back above .500 and ended the team’s three-game losing streak.
Young’s shot spoiled a 35-point outing from Lauri Markkanen, which tied his season high. The loss extended the Jazz’s home losing streak to eight straight games. Only two of Utah’s nine wins have come at home so far this season.
