The Atlanta Hawks begin a two-game road trip against Western Conference teams without star guard Trae Young when they face the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.
Young was elbowed in the face while drawing a charge in the fourth quarter of the Hawks’ 116-95 home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. He did not return to the game.
Young entered concussion protocol on Sunday, and is out indefinitely as he undergoes the league’s protocol to ensure he is symptom-free before he can resume basketball activities.
The Hawks wrap up this road trip with a game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday and begin a six-game homestand Friday against the Dallas Mavericks.
Atlanta saw its three-game win streak come to an end against the Cavaliers on Saturday as the Hawks shot 11 for 38 from 3-point range.
Saddiq Bey shot 0 for 6 on 3-pointers and 0 for 12 overall. He’s 2-for-23 from beyond the arc in his last four games.
Jalen Johnson, who shot 1 for 5 on threes against the Cavaliers, had a message for Bey.
“Keep shooting,” Johnson said. “We need him shooting his shots. Those shots are going to end up falling. Everybody goes through slumps; it’s part of a long season. He’s going to figure it out. We all have confidence in him that he’s going to find his shot again. It’s just a matter of time.”
Bey went 3-for-8 from beyond the arc and scored 15 points when the Hawks lost at home 117-110 to the Kings last month. Atlanta also had some trouble knocking down 3-pointers in that loss, going 15-for-43. Young went just 3-for-10 and Bogdan Bogdanovic finished 2-for-10 from deep.
Kings star guard De’Aaron Fox had no trouble from 3-point range against the Hawks, hitting 8 of 16 attempts and scoring a game-high 31 points in the road win. Domantas Sabonis added 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
The Kings enter Saturday’s matchup having lost four in a row, two of which occurred in excruciating fashion. Bucks guard Damian Lillard hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Kings 143-142 in Milwaukee on Sunday, and Sacramento gave up a 23-4 game-ending run as the host Phoenix Suns won 119-117 on Tuesday.
“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Kevin Huerter said after the Kings’ latest loss — 126-121 to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday. “This is the third game in a row this has happened against three good teams. It feels like it’s all self-inflicted and that’s why it’s frustrating for us. It’s no secret. We can’t miss 14 free throws at home and expect to beat a team that’s this good. That’s stuff that we can control.”
The Kings went 18-for-32 from the free-throw line in the loss to Indiana. Malik Monk went 1-for-6.
Despite the losses, Sabonis has recorded three straight triple-doubles.
–Field Level Media