Trae Young scored 30 points, including eight in the final 1 minute, 16 seconds, as the visiting Atlanta Hawks rallied from a double-digit, fourth-quarter deficit to earn a 112–108 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, Jan. 8, to earn a split of a four-game run through California.
De'Andre Hunter scored 20 points and Dejounte Murray added 16 as the Hawks won on the Clippers’ home court for the first time since the 2018–19 season.
Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points in a season-high 38 minutes for the Clippers, who extended their season-long losing streak to six games.
Ivica Zubac scored 17 points with 18 rebounds for Los Angeles, while Marcus Morris Sr. had 15 points. The Clippers have not won since Dec. 27 and have not won at home since Dec. 21.
Looking for a better defensive performance after giving up 66 points in the paint during a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, the Hawks held the Clippers to 38.9-percent shooting.
Atlanta was better on offense too, leading by as many as 17 points in the second quarter and going into intermission with a 66–52 lead after closing the first half on a 7–3 run over the final 31.5 seconds.
The Clippers stormed back in the third quarter, going on a 13–0 run to take an 83–79 lead with 2:08 remaining in the period. Los Angeles went into the fourth quarter with an 87–85 advantage.
The Clippers grabbed their first double-digit lead on a 3-pointer by Leonard for a 102–91 advantage with 6:45 remaining. The Hawks responded with an 11–0 run to tie the game 102–102 with 3:55 remaining after a layup from Murray.
Young broke a 106-106 tie on a floater with 47.7 seconds remaining before Leonard answered for a 108–108 tie with 43.9 seconds on the clock. Young scored again on a floater with 33.1 seconds remaining and added two free throws with 5.7 seconds left to seal the win.
John Collins had 13 points with nine rebounds for Atlanta, while Jalen Johnson had 13 points. Terance Mann and Norman Powell each had 14 points for the Clippers.
