Atlanta Hawks 121-120 San Antonio Spurs
Kevin Huerter #3 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots the ball in the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT & T Center in San Antonio, Texas, January 17, 2020.
The Hawks put an end to a sad record on Friday – for the first time in 22 years, they defeated the Spurs at the AT & T Center.
The last time the Hawks claimed a road win over the Spurs was in February 1997. None of the team's starting-five in Friday's game – Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish, De'Andre Hunter, John Collins – was even born at the time. Since then, the Spurs have achieved 21 straight wins over the Hawks at home.
Huerter buried a game-winning 3-pointer for Atlanta when there were only seven seconds left. DeMar DeRozan had the chance of reversing the game for San Antonio but he missed his shot against the three-man defense. After that, his almost-triple-double (25+9+9) and the 30 points scored by LaMarcus Aldridge lost their values.
Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks makes a layup in the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT & T Center in San Antonio, Texas, January 17, 2020.
Of course, the biggest contributor to Atlanta's win was second-year point guard Trae Young who dropped 31 points, five rebounds, nine assists and got 12 consecutive points in the last 3:30 of the fourth quarter before Huerter made his game-winning shot.
There should not be any surprise at Young's incredible performance on Friday. He has averaged 31.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 9.6 assists in the past six games, including two 40+point ones and one 40+point triple-double game. Young also ranks third (29.1 points) and fourth (8.5 assists) on the scoring leaders and assisting leaders tables respectively.
Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls dunks in the game against the Atlanta Hawks at the The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, January 2, 1985; Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks handles the ball in the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT & T Center in San Antonio, Texas, January 17, 2020. /AP Photo
To understand even better how great Young is at his age, here are a few statistic numbers: Friday's game is the 119th NBA game he has played and the 30+point one he dropped. The last NBA player who had at least 30+point games in his first 120 games was Michael Jordan whom it took only 75 games to do it.
Portland Trail Blazers 112-120 Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates after the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, January 17, 2020.
Two of the league's best scorers, Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard put up a scoring contest at the American Airlines Center on Friday. In the end, Doncic who had 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists beat Lillard and his 34 points + 10 assists as the Mavericks claimed their fourth win in a row.
Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers dunks in the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, January 17, 2020.
The competition between the two had begun in the first quarter as Doncic led 14-11. After Portland's C.J. McCollum headed back to the locker room because of an ankle injury, Doncic and Lillard became both teams' only offensive pillars and of course, the major defensive targets.
Lillard continued to score 11 points in the second quarter but his struggling 3-pointer shooting held him back, forcing him to keep assaulting the opponents' rim, which hurt his efficiency. As a result, he only got seven and two points in the last two quarters respectively. By contrast, Doncic shot surprisingly better at a rate of 66.7 percent from the 3-point line. In the end, he made the eight triple, highest in any single game of his career, to seal the game for Dallas.
Carmelo Anthony #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers handles the ball in the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, January 17, 2020.
Despite the loss, both Lillard and Carmelo Anthony reached new milestones of their careers. Lillard reached 14,000 points, becoming the fourth in today's league to do that in the first eight seasons. Anthony surpassed 26,000 points and he's the 18th player to do that in the league's history.
Washington Wizards 111-140 Toronto Raptors
Marc Gasol of the Toronto Raptors celebrates after burying a 3-pointer in the game against the Washington Wizards at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, January 17, 2020.
The Raptors created a new record thanks to their big win at the Scotiabank Arena on Friday. The 140 points they recorded are their highest score in non-overtime games. Seven of the team's players had double-digit points. Norman Powell put down team-high 28 points off the bench. Marc Gasol was 6-7 from the 3-point line to score 20 points.
The Wizards could not be happy about the loss, especially their franchise player Bradley Beal. David Aldridge of The Athletic on Friday reported that Beal's disappointment at the team (13-28, No. 12 in the East) is "really real" and he is "as angry with and emotional about his team as he's ever been."
Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards reacts in the game against the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, January 17, 2020.
"I don't like losing. I'm sorry. Especially winnable games," said Beal after Washington's loss to Chicago on Wednesday. Another loss in two days will definitely not make him feel better.
This should concern the Wizards' front office. Beal, as a two-time All-Star guard who could score the league's fifth-highest 27.6 points this season, was surrounded by trade rumors only half a year ago. Though he signed a two-year, 72-million-U.S.-dollar contract extension with the team last summer, it's no guarantee Beal will stay if the team continues their disappointing performance.
Nonetheless, with the toxic four-year, 171-million contract of John Wall stuck on the Wizards' payroll, there cannot be many tricks under the Wizards' sleeves.
Other games on Friday (home teams in bold):
Minnesota Timberwolves 114-116 Indiana Pacers
Chicago Bulls 89-100 Philadelphia 76ers
Cleveland Cavaliers 109-113 Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat 115-108 Oklahoma City Thunder