The Phoenix Suns have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA for the past month and came into their game against the Hawks as winners of 9 of their last 11 games. They were healthy and facing a Hawks team that struggled to defend anyone.

Atlanta needed this win and while they won’t admit that Trae Young not making the All-Star Game could be used as motivation, I don’t think it is a coincidence that he gave one of his best performances of the year tonight. The Hawks would end up winning this game against the Suns and getting one of their best wins of the season.

The Hawks were sticking with the same lineup that has started the majority of games for them this season. Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson, and Clint Capela were the first five on the floor for the Hawks.

Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, and Jusuf Nurkic were the starters for the Suns.

This had the potential to be a high-scoring game due to the high level of offensive talent on both teams and the first quarter gave us that.

The game went back and forth to start, with both teams exchanging baskets. The Suns led 15-12 at the first timeout with 7:58 left in the first quarter and there was a troubling early development from the Hawks. Capela picked up two quick fouls and had to go to the bench, resulting in Onyeka Okongwu coming into the game faster than normal.

After Okongwu entered the game, Patty Mills and Bogdan Bogdanovic did as well. Mills has not played in every game, but he usually finds a way to make an impact when he does and that is what happened tonight. Mills had a steal, was moving around and getting the ball out quickly on offense, and just bringing a hustle that the Hawks needed.

The Sun’s defense was no match for Young in the first quarter. He was 3-3 from three in the opening quarter, scoring 11 points and giving the Hawks a 33-30 lead. It was not just scoring though. Young is one of, if not the best passer in the NBA and that was on display in the first quarter against Phoenix.

Booker had nine points for Phoenix and Nurkic had eight in the first quarter.

The second quarter was another back-and-forth for the offenses, but there were moments when it looked like Atlanta was going to pull away.

Wesley Matthews saw his first bit of action in the first half and it was unknown at the time but he was going to play a big role for the rest of the game.

Bogdanovic was the star for the Hawks in the second quarter. He was 5-7 from the field and 2-3 from three and leading the Hawks offense with his quick decision-making and finishing at the rim.

The Hawks have been a below-average team when it comes to turning the ball over, but in the first half, they only turned it over twice.

The Hawks held a 58-52 lead with 3:12 remaining in the first half, but the Suns did well to close the quarter and only trailed 66-63 at the half.

Atlanta shot 49% from the field in the first half and 35% from three. Young nearly had a double-double in the first half alone, scoring 17 points and dishing out 9 assists. He looked like he was going to be headed for another 30-10 game.

I have criticized the Hawks bench production at different times this year, but they were terrific in the first half. Bogdanovic scored 12, Okongwu had 11 and Atlanta outscored Phoenix in bench points 25-12.

The Suns shot 55% from the field and 44% from three in the first half. Durant had 16 points and Booker had 11.

Could the Hawks hold on in the second half? They have been one of the worst third-quarter teams in the NBA this year and were going to have to make sure Phoenix did not get rolling in the second half.

The bad news for the Hawks at the half was that Saddiq Bey was injured and then ruled out. With De’Andre Hunter already out of the game, the Hawks were going to need to rely on Wesley Matthews to have some

The third quarter started off strong for the Suns and it was in large part to Devin Booker.

Booker would go on to score 13 points in the quarter and Phoenix stopped turning the ball over. The Suns shot the ball well in the first half, but their seven turnovers hurt them.

Phoenix actually took the lead with 2:48 remaining in the quarter, but an 11-3 run from the Hawks gave them a 100-95 lead going into the final frame.

There were various times throughout the 4th quarter that it looked like the Hawks were going to pull away from Phoenix, but Kevin Durant was in the midst of one of his best games of the season. He was hitting big shot after big shot and looked unguardable at times in the fourth quarter.

But Young showed why he should have been named an All-Star.

Young gave a perfect performance after being snubbed for an All-Star spot and his best play of the game came with around five minutes left. Young stole the ball from Durant with the Hawks up seven stopped in his tracks and nailed a three that sent the crowd at State Farm Arena into a frenzy and a chant of “Two-Way Trae” broke out.

Despite Durant’s heroics, Phoenix could not stop Young and the offense, leading to Atlanta sealing a 129-120 victory at home against one of the Western Conference’s best teams. It was the third win in a row for Atlanta and they are coming at a much-needed time.

For the game, Atlanta shot 52% from the floor and 39% from three. Young delivered a terrific performance, scoring 32 points, handing out 15 assists, and shooting 12-17 from the field and 7-11 from three. Bogdanovic chipped in 23 points and Murray had 22 points. The Hawks bench outscored Phoenix’s bench 46-21.

The Suns shot 53% from the field and 38% from three. Durant had a great game, scoring 35 points and grabbing eight rebounds to go with eight assists. Booker scored 24 for Phoenix, but no other player on the team had more than 14 points.

This was a great win for the Hawks, but they will have no time to savor it. They will face Golden State tomorrow at home on the second night of a back-to-back, which is always tough. Tip-off is set for 7:30.