Tag: Atlanta Hawks

LeBron James daps up Kobe before hitting 3 in dominant Laker 1st half

LeBron James met up with Kobe Bryant as the Los Angeles Lakers had a great start Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Lakers fans had a Sunday of their dreams, especially in the first half of their game against the Atlanta Hawks. After celebrating Anthony Davis with some cognac last night, LeBron James and the Lakers burst out to 69-41 lead at halftime that included some incredible moments.

It began with Lakers legend Kobe Bryant being in the building as he promotes a new project and LeBron James went over to dap him up while he sat court side. James would immediately hit a 3-pointer for the Lakers, one of two 3-pointers and 17 points in the half and a monstrous plus-minutes of +41.

That wasn’t even the best highlight for the Lakers, however. After Atlanta briefly cut the Lakers lead to 10 points, the Lakers regained control to close the half but nothing made the Hawks look done more than an incredible tip-slam from Danny Green that made Dwight Howard lose his mind and the Lakers crowd go wild.

James also showed off his passing once again as he continued to build on his league-leading assist total.

The Lakers look well on their way to a 4th straight win, which would give them the best record in the NBA.

Anthony Davis on LeBron telling him to be No. 1 option: ‘Let’s have fun’

The Los Angeles Lakers stars have managed their partnership very well and are succeeding, which is leading to a much happier Davis.

Basically everything for the Los Angeles Lakers has gone according to plan this season and some things are succeeding more than anyone could ever foresee this early in the season. But one of the pivotal moments of the Lakers season happened months before when LeBron James told Anthony Davis he wanted Davis to be the team’s No. 1 scoring option.

The results have been incredible with Davis averaging 25 points per game and James leading the NBA in assists through the first 12 games. Earlier this week, Davis described when LeBron approached him and how it caused him to change his outlook on the upcoming season in an interview with The Athletic/Stadium’s Shams Charania.

Transcribed by Christian Rivas of Silver Screen and Roll

“It was tough because I had done it in New Orleans, but that was because it was like ‘AD you have to.’ Now it’s like, ‘well all right, we’re gonna split this 50/50. And when (LeBron) came he was like ‘nah, this is yours. I’ll play the second guy. We’re going through you.’ … And then it’s the Lakers … There’s a bigger spotlight, the media is bigger, ‘does AD have what it takes?’ … I really had to really wrap my head around ‘this is going to be a fun year. It’s not going to be tough, it’s not going to be hard, it’s going to be fun. Let’s have fun with it.’ So I tell him all the time, ‘most importantly, no matter what we do, let’s have fun. Let’s enjoy this.’”

So far this season has been one long exercise in the Lakers rediscovering fun on the court and for their fans. After the last time things went when the Lakers were told “this is going to be fun,” Davis’ embrace of that mindset heading into the season and LeBron’s embrace of setting the table for him is a refreshing change for the Lakers after six dormant seasons for the NBA’s glamour franchise.

Lakers look to continue winning ways against Hawks, Trae Young

The Los Angeles Lakers host one of the most exciting players in the game when they play Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers are back on the court Sunday night as they host an exciting Atlanta Hawks team that just came off an awful loss last night against the Clippers.

Trae Young had 20 points for the Hawks last night but they lost by 49 points, which means they’ll likely be much more focused for tonight’s game after getting embarrassed the night before. Young will be a challenge for the Lakers defense as his high pick-and-roll game is one of the most lethal in the NBA, even though he’s just in his second season.

Without Avery Bradley, Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will likely take the difficult task of guarding Young during the game but the Lakers team defense will be called upon, which shouldn’t be too big of an ask considering the Lakers are the best defense in the league.

Their size should be enough to disrupt what Atlanta is trying to do offensively with Young, especially because the Hawks are pretty inexperienced or not very good elsewhere on the team. Defensively, the Hawks also have trouble stopping people which should make for a great night for LeBron James running the show.

Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. PDT at Staples Center.

All hail Trae Young, king of the NBA nutmeg

He’s so good at these.

Trae Young in Year 2 is exactly what we all hoped for: A better, more efficient scorer expanding his already-incredible range and becoming a defensive force.

We knew he was a human highlight reel, but now he’s become the king of the nutmeg, the dribble between the wide-open legs of a defender squaring up to attempt to stop the guard, which was already hard enough to begin with. Now, could this mean defenders try to close their legs more and watch as Young breaks their ankles by dribbling around and not through them?

Let’s all grab some popcorn and enjoy a highlight reel of some Young nutmegs.

Poor J.J. Redick.

He stared at the Nuggets bench after what he did to Will Barton.

He did it Ricky Rubio.

He did this last year, too! Here’s a nutmeg from the Rising Stars Challenge that went through Josh Okogie’s legs:

He’s had this move for a loooooooooong time:

Keep ’em coming, Trae.

[jwplayer tP7WFzRm-q2aasYxh]

The 7 most unreal shots of Trae Young’s NBA career

TRAE YOUNG HIVE STAND UP.

Hey, listen. Just going to drop off a fair warning right now. If you AREN’T a member of the Trae Young hive, stop reading right here.

Okay, great. Now that all six of those folks are out of here, the rest of us can have a good time. Because our hardwood lord and savior Rayford Trae Young is straight up making folks look SILLY right now.

He’s literally the ONLY player in NBA history to average at least 28 points and eight assists per game while shooting 40% from deep. It’s just year two.

People thought the Hawks made a mistake trading down to get him. He’s proven those doubters wrong with every moon-ball 3-pointer he’s hit and every no-look pass he’s dished.  It’s almost like he’s still running around the Big XII.

Young isn’t new to this, he’s true to this. All the wacky shots and deep threes we seeing this year come natural to him. Here’s a look at the seven wildest shots he’s hit so far in his short career.

7. Trae points to the spot

The best thing about Young when he catches fire is that he knows exactly what he is doing to you. Every deep, ridiculous three is a punch to the gut. Here he just added a bit more sauce to it by pointing to where he shot from after dropping a bomb in Lonzo Ball’s eye.

Tell you what — Ball is a better man than me. Adults should never fight, but after that? I’m sorry. We gotta scrap.

6. Jonathan Issac almost blocked this

Fam. How was this shot not blocked? Dude is a magician. He has to be. This doesn’t make sense. Jonathan Issac was right there on Young’s back. Even altered his form. Didn’t matter. Swish. Just too good to be stopped.

5. From the Logo to start the season

Make some room for Trae, Damian Lillard. He isn’t the only one hitting shots from the logo these days. Young is doing it, too, and in the first game of the season. Remember that slow start he got off to last year? This shot was a message — that ain’t happening again.

4. The Nutmeg against the Nuggets

Nah. This isn’t right. That man has a family. Poor Will Barton. He’s now cursed forever, doomed to live on a never ending loop of this highlight on YouTube until the end of days.

His children’s children’s children will be able to watch this highlight of Young treating him like a run-of-the-mill hooper playing at the local rec center. Imagining such a life gives me chills, man.

3. Over Kris Dunn to take the lead

This was a moment for Young last season. Take a second to think about what’s going on here. This is a rookie pulling up for a potential game winning three with a defender in his face and seven seconds left on the clock. Appreciate that. We don’t see it often.

I remember watching this one live. This was definitely me:

The Bulls ended up winning after four overtimes (!!!) but whatever. Don’t care. Trae Young won.

2. A putback to put the Bucks away

This is the only play here that isn’t a jumper, but I can certainly assure that it definitely belongs because I still don’t know how a 6’1 guard got to that ball. It’s a right place, right time thing, which seems to happen a lot for Young these days.

1. Calling bank FTW against the Magic

Markelle Fultz didn’t deserve this. The Magic didn’t deserve this. But Young absolutely gave it to them anyway. I don’t know if he called bank but, in the words of the immortal Paul Pierce, he certainly called game.

He’s not Steph Curry. He’s not Steve Nash. Atlanta’s point guard is one of a kind and these plays prove it. He makes the unimaginable seem routine and he makes the routine seem pedestrian. It’s just his second year, so there’s plenty more to come over the next decade.

My soul is ready. I’m so excited I can’t even spell.

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Trae Young is first player since LeBron to have 3 straight 30-10 games

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young’s recent run is something the NBA hasn’t seen since LeBron James did it with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

[jwplayer AdgeiI2B-z6KDnl0B]

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young has been thriving ever since coming back from an ankle injury that caused him to miss games earlier in the season. Including last night’s impressive win at Denver, Young has scored at least 30 points and dished 10 assists in his last three games.

With the current streak, Young became the first player to accomplish the feat since LeBron James did it in March of 2018 when he was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Young has been stellar as of late, carrying an incredible scoring and creation load for the Hawks to start the season.

On the year, Young is averaging 28 points, 8.7 assists and just over four rebounds per game while shooting over 40 percent from long distance. Aside from the rebounds and the 3-point shooting, his numbers aren’t unlike a typical LeBron year.

So far this season, James has taken a little bit of a step back in the scoring category as he is averaging 24 points per game after averaging over 27 points the last two seasons. Part of that is because James has taken an even bigger role as the Lakers lead guard, which has resulted in an NBA-leading 11 assists per game to go with 8 rebounds.

The HoopsHype Daily: Trae Young is on an insane run right now, and he’s making a bit of history in the process

After scoring 42 points and dishing out 11 assists, Trae Young made a bit of history on Tuesday night. He’s performing at a crazy level right now.

YOUNG EN FUEGO: 2018 No. 2 overall draft pick Trae Young has been performing at an insane level recently, and last night was no different. The young Hawks point guard went off for 42 points (on just 21 field-goal attempts!) on the road against an elite Nuggets squad on Tuesday, nailing eight triples and chipping in with 11 assists for good measure.

In the process, Young became the first player 21 or younger to post three-straight games with at least 30 points and 10 assists, and just the third player with multiple 40-point, 10-assist games prior to turning 22, joining LeBron James and Michael Jordan on the illustrious list.

It’s been a fairly decent start to the season for Young, who is now averaging 28.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists in 2019-20 through nine games played. The two players who were part of the draft-night trade two summers ago, Young and Luka Doncic, both have the look of special talents, so it’s safe to say both Atlanta and Dallas came out as winners that night.

HOT SEATS IN NYC: The New York Knicks lost yet again last night, falling to the 4-7 Chicago Bulls by a final scoreline of 120-102. After days of speculation on the job security of head coach David Fizdale, a report came out courtesy of SNYtv’s Ian Begley turning the spotlight on two of the team’s top executives, team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry.

According to Begley’s sources, Mills and Perry spoke to Knicks owner Jim Dolan on Monday and came away with the impression that their jobs would be safe as long as the Knicks show some sort of progress this season. Well, if the last few games are to be taken as an indicator, Mills and Perry might be in some trouble.

A.D. PLAYING THROUGH INJURY: The Lakers won their eighth game in 10 tries on Tuesday, but the most interesting thing to come out of the contest was the news that Anthony Davis is playing through multiple injuries, one to his shoulder and one to his ribs.

His attitude towards playing through these knocks is admirable and Los Angeles is playing their best basketball in a very long time but at the same time, one has to wonder: Is it really smart for the superstar big man to be pushing himself this hard in mid-November, when the Lakers have such high expectations for the playoffs that are still months away? Maybe a night off would be the wise course of action for Davis. Los Angeles plays again tonight, so we’ll see how caution the team/player choose to be.

QUIET DRAMA IN HOUSTON: ESPN goes behind the scenes in Houston to report on the tension within the Rockets, and around the Association, following Daryl Morey’s infamous Hong Kong tweet.

P.G. RETURN DATE SET? Per Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, Clippers forward Paul George is set to make his return on Thursday night for L.A.’s game against the Pelicans. George averaged 28.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season, finishing third in MVP voting for 2018-19. He and Kawhi Leonard could be an unfair duo once they get going.

ANOTHER KEY PLAYER GOES DOWN: Another day, another injury to a key rotation piece around the NBA. According to reports, Rockets 2-guard Eric Gordon is going to undergo knee surgery that will keep him out approximately six weeks. Not good.

DIPO GETTING CLOSER? There’s still no timetable for Victor Oladipo’s return, but yesterday, the Pacers assigned the All-Star shooting guard to the team’s G League team so he could get another practice in. That has to be a good sign that he’s getting closer to a return.

ROOKIE EXPLODES: First-year Chicago point guard Coby White hit seven three-pointers in the fourth quarter of last night’s contest against the Knicks, setting the Bulls record for most triples in a single period. The league-wide record for most three-pointers in a quarter is nine (it belongs to Klay Thompson), so White wasn’t far off that pace.

STEPH CLAPS BACK AT GOAT:  Michael Jordan made headlines in an interview for saying Stephen Curry isn’t quite a Hall-of-Famer just yet. The Warriors point guard clapped back recently, referring to Jordan as one of his haters and saying he was going to send the Bulls legend a pair of his shoes. They should probably settle this in a televised game of one-on-one, if we’re being honest. (We’d even settle for H.O.R.S.E.)

FORMER TOP PICK WORKING HIS WAY BACK: The New York Times spoke to Magic head coach Steve Clifford about Markelle Fultz’s progress this year, and to former National League Rookie of the Year (baseball) Steve Sax, known for one of the most famous cases of the yips, about what it’s like to lose your confidence that drastically.

NETS EXEC STEPS DOWN: In what was a shocking bit of news, Nets CEO David Levy stepped down from his position with Brooklyn after fewer than two months on the job. The decision was described as mutual.

KRISTAPS STILL ADJUSTING: Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis spoke to Sports Illustrated about his struggles this season. Mark Cuban also added his thoughts in the piece.

I.T. SPEAKS ABOUT NEXT STOP: After famously saying his goal in free agency a few years ago was to back up the Bricks trunk (i.e., get paid handsomely), a humbled Isaiah Thomas told The Athletic he hopes his next contract is a more long-term one.

🏦 Thomas, currently the 314th-highest paid player in the league, is coming off back-to-back summers where he was forced to sign one-year deals.

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Trae Young nutmegged a defender, hit a jumper, and stared down the Nuggets’ bench

This looked way too easy.

It hasn’t taken long for Trae Young to become one of the more exciting players to watch in the NBA.

And right now he’s on an absolute tear.

The second-year Atlanta Hawks guard has scored over 30 points in each of his last three games, including 42 in Tuesday night’s victory over the Nuggets in Denver in which he hit eight 3-pointers.

But it was a nice two-pointer that stood out the most against the Nuggets as he nutmegged a defender, collected the ball, hit a jumper, and then stared down Denver’s bench for about five seconds.

You’re gonna want to check this out:

Here’s a better angle of the nutmeg:

Insane.

Here are his highlights from the win:

NBA fans loved the nutmeg:

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