All Blacks surprisingly dominate Ireland 23-13

DUBLIN (AP) — New Zealand defeated Ireland in Dublin for the first time in eight years after a surprisingly one-sided 23-13 win on Friday night.

The All Blacks dominated ball and territory, won the battles in the air and the set-pieces, and largely controlled proceedings against Ireland, which lost at home for the first time in nearly four years.

The Irish under pressure conceded 13 penalties (to New Zealand's five) and Damian McKenzie punished them with six penalty shots — the seventh hit the post — in a masterful overall performance, his best of the year as the starting flyhalf.

“He's so mercurial,” All Blacks coach Scott Robertson told broadcaster TNT Sports. “Sometimes he doesn't quite get it right but when he does ... he got enough right tonight and it was pretty special. I'm really pleased how he controlled the game; really calm, kept backing himself.”

Both teams scored a try apiece. Ireland's through Josh van der Flier regained them the lead straight after halftime while they had a man advantage. But the All Blacks put out the Irish fire and Will Jordan's try gave the visitors a convincing 10-point lead with 11 minutes to go.

Ireland came into the contest not having played since its July win over world champion South Africa in Durban. Despite a warm-weather camp in Portugal last week, the oiled machine the Irish normally show ground through the gears. They took their only try-scoring chance and were otherwise smothered and outmuscled.

“It's a funny old feeling (losing) because we don't tend to have it too much in that dressing room,” Ireland coach Andy Farrell said. “The lads are gutted and we're all gutted. I thought we'd prepped well, trained well and we were excited about the game. The energy and accuracy wasn't there for needing to win a big test match like that.”

First-year coach Robertson finally got his benchmark win against the team that has given the All Blacks their most setbacks of late.

“We showed so much courage and care with both sides of the ball. We just executed more,” Robertson said. “The boys performed after halftime and we're stoked to get a result like that."

For all the spikiness in their recent contests — including their World Cup quarterfinal a year ago — this one was relatively serene in front of a subdued sold-out Aviva Stadium. The one brief tussle between the teams drew a chuckle in the stands from the movie gladiator, Irish actor Paul Mescal.

In a cagey first half, New Zealand looked far more likely to score a try, and won 54 of the 74 rucks. Ireland was mainly on the defensive, forced to spoil at the breakdowns and harass scrumhalf Cortez Ratima.

But Ireland overplayed and coughed up penalties that earned a warning from referee Nic Berry. McKenzie kicked three out of three for a 9-3 lead, which would have been a fair indicator of the half.

But right on halftime, New Zealand's Jordie Barrett was sin-binned for a high tackle on midfield opposite Garry Ringrose and Jack Crowley's second penalty gave Ireland a timely boost.

Knowing they started the new half with a 10-minute man advantage, the Irish upped their intensity. They forced a five-meter scrum and on the sixth attempt to pound the ball in, flanker van der Flier succeeded. Crowley's extras made it 13-9 in the 44th.

The Irish stormed back into the New Zealand 22 again but a neck roll penalty let the All Blacks off the hook. The Irish would have been disappointed to score only seven points while playing against 14 men.

McKenzie was given a long-range penalty kick and showed remarkable poise when the ball fell off the tee to regather his wits and slot it within the shot clock.

With Barrett back, New Zealand resumed control and Ireland's penalty count crept back up.

A scrum penalty and another ruck penalty gave McKenzie more target practice and New Zealand went ahead 18-13 with 15 to go.

Barrett started the decisive try-scoring move. Ireland fullback Hugo Keenan made his second try-saving tackle of the match on Mark Tele'a but the All Blacks went left and the hooker Asafo Aumua gave Jordan an untouched run to the try-line.

McKenzie couldn’t convert but another strong impact from the All Blacks replacements ensured top-ranked Ireland's 19-win streak at home was effectively over.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

New Zealand's Damian McKenzie, kicks a penalty during the the Autumn Nations series rugby union match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

New Zealand's Mark Tele'a,, left, is tackled by Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park, during the the Autumn Nations series rugby union match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Ireland's Bundee Aki, centre smiles at teammate Ireland's Mack Hansen, at the end of the Autumn Nations series rugby union match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland , Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. New Zealand won the game 23-13. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

New Zealand's Ofa Tu'ungafasi, celebrates at th end of the Autumn Nations series rugby union match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, New Zealand won the game 23-13. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Ireland's Josh van der Flier's teammates react as he scores try during the the Autumn Nations series rugby union match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

New Zealand's Will Jordan scores a try during the the Autumn Nations series rugby union match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)

New Zealand's Damian McKenzie, center, catches the ball during the Autumn international rugby match against Ireland, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)

New Zealand's Damian McKenzie, takes a penalty kick during the the Autumn Nations series rugby union match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks seemed to be a team on the rise when they made an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference final in 2021.

It proved to be a mirage.

What followed was three seasons of infuriating mediocrity, which returned the Hawks to the sort of middle-of-the-pack purgatory that has been a familiar spot through most of their existence.

Now, with a more defensive-minded approach and a roster that runs eight or nine deep, Atlanta is again showing signs of promise.

The Hawks beat LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 134-132 in overtime Friday night for their sixth straight victory — Atlanta's longest winning streak in nearly three years.

“The challenge of this is don’t get comfortable,” said Young, who hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds remaining. “It’s easy to get comfortable after you win a few games and feel good about yourself.”

Young had a huge night with 31 points and 20 assists, helping offset a 39-point performance by LeBron James and 38 points from Anthony Davis.

But the big key to the Hawks' recent success — which includes earning a spot in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup — has been those around Young.

Seven Hawks were in double figures against the Lakers, including three players coming off the bench. Former starter De'Andre Hunter has settled comfortably into a sixth-man role since returning from an ailing knee, scoring 26 points and drawing a double team that freed up Young for the winning 3.

“This wasn’t the first night that it’s been like this,” Young pointed out. "Even in some of our losses, we had a lot of guys scoring, so we've just gotta keep it going. Now that we've got guys healthy, we've found a little rhythm.”

After Hunter went down in the opening week of the season, the Hawks moved No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher into the starting lineup.

While the 19-year-old Frenchmen is still a work in progress, bringing Hunter off the bench is working out just fine. He is averaging more than 19 points a game while continuing to be one of the team's best players at the defensive end.

Then there's Dyson Daniels, who was acquired in a blockbuster trade that sent Dejounte Murray to New Orleans Pelicans and seemed a sign that the Hawks were going into rebuilding mode.

While Daniels didn't do much during his time in the Big Easy, the 6-foot-8 guard with lanky arms that make him seem even taller, has give the Hawks another defensive stopper. He came up with two huge plays in the waning seconds of overtime, starting with a steal on a lazy bounce pass from Davis to James.

That one didn't produce points, as James hustled back to make a soaring block on Daniels driving to the hoop, giving the ball back to the Lakers.

But Daniels wasn't done. He helped tie up the taller Davis for a jump ball, and the Hawks wound up with one last shot when James tipped the ball out of bounds while scrambling with Hunter for possession,

Young made the Lakers pay.

“It's just effort," Hunter said. “That's what Dyson does. That's how he plays. I feel like I play the same way. At the end of the game, we need some plays, defensive plays, and me and Dyson being the premier defensive guys on the team, we have to make those plays.”

The Hawks still must prove this recent surge isn't just another tease.

“The challenge for us going forward,” Young said, “is how do we continue to do what we’ve been doing and getting stops and letting the offensive side take care of itself and play through each other?”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) fouls Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) celebrates after scoring in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) walks off the court after an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) reacts after scoring in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) stops Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie (12) from scoring in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) celebrates after he scores, winning an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)