No matter who the Trail Blazers put on him, Atlanta's Trae Young simply could not be stopped. In the end, it didn't matter for the result, but Young's Monday night performance for the ages put the All-Star guard in some elite company.
Portland beat the Hawks, 136-131, despite the absences of both Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. It was Young who stole the show, though, as he scored a career-best 56 points on 17-for-26 shooting from the field with 14 assists.
Young's 56 points are the most scored by any player this season. He also became just the sixth player in league history with at least 55 points and 10 assists. The others? James Harden (three times), Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook and Tony Parker, according to StatMuse.
The game marked Young's second 50-point performance of his career, as he previously scored 50 against the Heat on Feb. 20, 2020. It's his third time topping 40 points this season.
Despite Young's brilliance, the Hawks were unable to get a win as their defense remained suspect. Atlanta has allowed at least 130 points in three of its last four games, and has lost 11 of its last 16 games dating back to the end of November. The Blazers, meanwhile, won for just the fourth time in their last 18 games.
