Trae Young makes miraculous buzzer-beater to top Bucks in overtime
Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young’s magical rookie season just continues to impress.
Although he only scored 12 points on 19 shots, Young made them count, capping his game off with a buzzer-beater to top the Milwaukee Bucks 136-135 on Sunday.
The Hawks trailed for almost the entire game, falling down by as many as 23 points when the Bucks hit a season-high 10 threes in the first quarter. Even in overtime, the Hawks trailed until the closing seconds when Young hit a 10-foot driving floater with 6.8 seconds remaining to take a one-point lead.
The Bucks retook the lead when Sterling Brown hit a layup with 1.1 seconds left, seemingly putting away the game, but Young would not have it.
Although Kevin Huerter’s inbound alley-oop attempt to John Collins was knocked away, Young was somehow able to recover the ball and toss it in just before the buzzer sounded.
Young finished the game with 16 assists, which is one shy of his career high. Four of his assists came in overtime with another four coming in the final 6:01 of regulation.
How does this affect the Hawks’ draft picks?
As with most discussions of losing teams, all things circle back to Zion Williamson. Although the Hawks’ win over a conference-leading team is certainly big, it could hurt their chance at landing a top lottery pick.
The Hawks have won nine of 20 games since the All-Star break, which has them at 28-49 overall. While they used to be in running for one of the worst three records — which would have given them a 14 percent chance at the top pick — they now find themselves in the fifth spot.
In a vacuum, that’s not such a bad spot to be. They still have a 44.3 percent chance at moving into the top four, and the recent winning is positive for team culture. However, they don’t play in a vacuum.
The Hawks are only one win behind (ahead?) of the Dallas Mavericks, and with four more wins in the last two weeks of the season, they could move into a tie with the ninth-worst New Orleans Pelicans.
Potentially more concerning, the Mavericks owe the Hawks their first-round pick from the Trae Young-Luka Doncic trade if it lands outside the top five. In the No. 6 position, the Mavs only have a 37.2 percent chance of moving up in the lottery, but that percentage could climb closer to a coin flip if they pass the Hawks.
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