The Atlanta Hawks are on a roll with 6 straight wins, but can they keep it going?

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)

All-Star weekend is now fully underway in San Francisco.

Saturday is the second night of on-court events, with the skills, dunk and 3-point contests. The All-Star Game — or tournament — is Sunday. It’s a new format for the All-Star Game this year. It’s now a mini-tournament with games going only to 40 points.

Here’s some of what to know about All-Star weekend:

Mostly TNT and truTV. Here’s the rundown (all times Eastern):

Saturday — NBA All-Star practice, 2 p.m. (NBA TV); NBA HBCU Classic, 5 p.m. (truTV, NBA TV, Max and ESPN+); Adam Silver news conference, 7 p.m. (NBA TV); All-Star Saturday Night, 8 p.m. (TNT and truTV)

Sunday — NBA All-Star Game, 8 p.m. (TNT, truTV, Max); NBA All-Star postgame (NBA TV).

— Stephen and Ayesha Curry are the hosts this weekend and savor all that title means.

— Spurs' Stephon Castle wins MVP of Rising Stars game, his team earns All-Star berth

— Damian Lillard returns home, and Oakland still means everything to him

— The NBA's tech summit turns 25

The All-Stars are split into three teams of eight players this year, drafted by TNT analysts Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. The rundown:

Chuck's Global Stars: Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, Houston’s Alperen Sengun, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Atlanta’s Trae Young. (Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo was supposed to play but cannot because of injury. Young replaced him for the game.)

Shaq's OGs: Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Dallas’ Kyrie Irving, Boston teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Phoenix’s Kevin Durant, Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard and the Los Angeles Clippers’ James Harden. (Dallas' Anthony Davis was supposed to play but cannot because of injury. Irving replaced him for the game.)

Kenny's Young Stars: Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr., Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams, Cleveland teammates Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Miami’s Tyler Herro.

Shaq's OGs will play Candace's Rising Stars, named for Candace Parker, the team that won the Rising Stars event: Castle, Utah's Keyonte George, Phoenix’s Ryan Dunn, Memphis teammates Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells, Golden State’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dalton Knecht and — added to the roster late Friday — Houston’s Amen Thompson.

The NBA has made the All-Star Game a mini-tournament this year, with four teams playing games to 40 points. There’s no clock (other than the shot clock) and nobody fouls out.

The semifinal matchups: Chuck’s Global Stars vs. Kenny’s Young Stars, Shaq's OGs vs. Candace's Rising Stars.

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Team Shaq is the All-Star favorite at +105, ahead of Team Chuck (+185). Team Kenny is at +425 and Team Candace is at +900.

For the Skills Competition, it's Team Spurs (Wembanyama and Chris Paul) as the favorites. They're at +190, just ahead of Team Cavs (Mitchell and Mobley, +220), Team Warriors (Draymond Green and Moses Moody, +260) and Team Rooks (Atlanta's Zaccharie Risacher and Washington's Alex Sarr, +450).

And Lillard is favored to win his third consecutive 3-point contest, with odds of +275. Golden State's Buddy Hield and the Los Angeles Clippers' Norman Powell are tied as the second choice now at +450. Garland is at +600 and Herro is at +700.

— LeBron James, and his place in All-Star history

— There’s no Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu rematch this year

— Wemby leads the list of six All-Star game rookies

— The Warriors are making a splash with their own record label

— Mac McClung is back in the dunk contest, looking for third consecutive title

— Kevin Hart will be the on-court emcee for the All-Star Game

— Trae Young Kyrie Irving picked as All-Star replacements for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis

— Giannis Antetokounmpo won't play at All-Star weekend

— Damian Lillard, Victor Wembanyama among those in All-Star Saturday

— How the new All-Star format works

— LeBron picked for 21st All-Star Game, extending his NBA record

Kevin Scott, Tre Maddox and Eric Dalen will be the officials for Sunday’s All-Star Game.

Jason Goldenberg, Mousa Dagher and Danielle Scott worked the Rising Stars event on Friday and will be back for the All-Star Saturday competitions.

Jenna Reneau, Biniam Maru and Cat Chang were the officials for Friday’s celebrity game and will also have Sunday’s G League Up Next game.

DJ Cassidy, Too $hort, Saweetie, En Vogue and Raphael Saadiq will be among the featured performers on All-Star Sunday. For All-Star Saturday night, H.E.R. and LiAngelo Ball — the brother of NBA guards Lonzo Ball and LaMelo Ball — will be among the performers. And Bay Area rapper LaRussell took the stage to perform an original song that introduced the Rising Stars on Friday night.

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

Decorations for the NBA All-Star Weekend are seen along Powell Street in San Francisco, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Decorations for the NBA All-Star Weekend are seen along Powell Street in San Francisco, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

A pedestrian watches a window decal being installed outside Moscone Center ahead of the NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, center, reacts on the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)