10 straight losses
Collins, Young help Hawks hand Suns 10th consecutive defeat
PHOENIX — The Atlanta Hawks were in a touchy situation in the final minutes against the ever-struggling Phoenix Suns.
Then their two best young players pulled them out of danger.
John Collins matched his career high with 35 points and fell one shy of his career best with 16 rebounds, and the Hawks handed the Suns their 10th straight loss, 118-112 on Saturday night.
Trae Young scored 17 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, when the Hawks pulled away.
“I don’t think I helped my team in the first three quarters,” Young said. “I just felt like I needed to step up. Everyone on the team played well except for me so I decided to do a little bit more for my team in the fourth quarter.”
Devin Booker scored 32,
ATL: 17-35 overall PHX: 11-43 overall
Josh Jackson 25 and Mikal Bridges 20 for Phoenix. Deandre Ayton, back after missing six games with a sprained left ankle, had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Booker said Collins and Young “carried the weight” for the Hawks, “especially down the stretch. You know, that’s ‘winning time.’ I remember when I was at Kentucky, you know, we were down a lot late some games and we understand. We call it ‘winning time.’”
Atlanta won despite committing 25 turnovers, resulting in 33 Phoenix points, compared with 10 turnovers by the Suns for 13 Atlanta points.
There were 11 ties and 10 lead changes in a tight first half with Atlanta leading 58-57 at the break. The Hawks’ biggest lead in the first two quarters was 10, the Suns’ five.
A 12-2 run put the Hawks up 42-32 with 9:08 left in the half. But Phoenix responded with a 13-2 surge that put the Suns up 45-44 on Booker’s three-point play