'YOUNG DESERVES MORE CREDIT'

Hawks' Johnson says All-Star's playmaking skills are underrated after 22 assists in win

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CLEVELAND - Eastern Conference leaders the Cleveland Cavaliers are not that formidable after all.

On Nov 27, they suffered their first home defeat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) season with a surprise 135-124 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Cleveland's second loss of the season came after a strong second-half display from Atlanta, with De'Andre Hunter scoring 26 points off the bench, Jalen Johnson adding 22 points and Trae Young contributing 20 with an impressive career-high 22 assists.

Young put the game beyond the Cavs with a 39-foot three-pointer to make it 129-122 with 1min 23sec remaining, just moments after he had turned the ball over.

Johnson said Young's assists had been crucial to the victory and that he deserved more credit for his role in the team.

"He was really getting off the ball and finding everyone... a lot of people don't necessarily talk about him even though he's leading the league in assists, they don't talk about him as the playmaker," he said.

The win moves the Hawks to 8-11 for the season and Young said the team had shown what they were capable of.