Western Conference Recaps, Apr. 2: The Atlanta Hawks Defeated The Dallas Mavericks Despite Kyrie Irving’s 41 Points

Trae Young’s free throws secured the Atlanta Hawks’ victory against the Dallas Mavericks

Behind Trae Young’s clutch free throws, the Atlanta Hawks survived the Dallas Mavericks’ late rally to get deeper in the play-in tournament.

With 1.8 seconds left, Young made two free throws to secure a 132-130 overtime victory against the Mavericks. He finished with 24 points and 12 assists while Dejounte Murray led the way with 25 points.

Kyrie Irving recorded 41 points for the Mavericks, who got pushed further away from the play-in tournament. Luka Doncic had 22 points and Christian Wood had 18 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

OTHER NOTES:

-The Minnesota Timberwolves’ playoff hopes have slowed down. Led by Shaedon Sharpe’s 27 points, the Portland Trail Blazers took a 107-105 victory against them. Trendon Watford scored 15 points and Kevin Knox led all reserves with 19.

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 37 points and Kyle Anderson recorded 13 off the bench.

-The San Antonio Spurs used rookie Julian Champagnie’s huge night to take a 142-134 victory against the Sacramento Kings. Champagnie scored 26 points off the bench and Tre Jones recorded his first career triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 28 points and Domantas Sabonis had 26.

-Anthony Davis’ dominance pushes the Los Angeles Lakers deeper in the play-in tournament. His 40 points led them to a 134-109 victory against the Houston Rockets. LeBron James had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, his first triple-double since Jan. 31.

Jalen Green scored 24 points for the Rockets and Kevin Porter had 20.

-Kevin Durant’s 35 points led the Phoenix Suns to a 128-118 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Devin Booker recorded 22 points and 10 assists, the most assists he had since Mar. 5. Shai GIlgeous-Alexander scored 39 points for the Thunder and Josh Giddey finished with 16.

-With Nikola Jokic sidelined a third straight game with a calf injury, Michael Porter recorded 29 points and 11 rebounds to give the Denver Nuggets a 112-110 victory against the Golden State Warriors. Jamal Murray had 26 points and Bruce Brown led the reserves with 14.

Klay Thompson recorded 25 points for the Warriors, who are now 9-30 on the road. Stephen Curry scored 21 points and Jordan Poole had 17 off the bench.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.