Trae Young feels 'amazing' after scoring 35 points. Now Hawks need to focus on healing their defense

ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young is quickly returning to his All-Star form after missing 21 games with a knee injury.

Now, the Atlanta Hawks can shift their focus to healing their ailing defense.

The Hawks ranked 22nd in scoring defense before Sunday's 152-150 loss to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA's highest-scoring game this season.

The Bulls had nine scorers in double figures, led by Matas Buzelis with 28 points. The Bulls' 152 points set a season high. They also set season highs with 41 assists, 57.6% field goal percentage and 47.6% 3-point shooting (20 of 42).

Young scored a season-high 35 points with nine assists. Jalen Johnson had 36 points with 11 rebounds and nine assists.

The Hawks also had Onyeka Okongwu score 23 points and Vit Krejci add 20. Young's encouraging showing and all the offense wasn't enough to overcome the leaky defense. The Bulls set another season high by scoring 83 points in the first half.

“It’s kind of tough winning games when you give up 80 points in the first half,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of embarrassing in a sense. …. Hopefully we cut down on some of the things we’re doing.”

The Hawks (15-15) have lost three straight and seven of nine to fall back to .500.

Young started for the second time in three games after missing 21 games with a right MCL sprain.

“I think everybody is excited to have Trae back,” Johnson said. “He’s been out for a while. ... The fact he’s found his rhythm already in his second game is a good sign.”

Coach Quin Snyder said Young may need more time before he's ready to play back-to-back games.

Young logged 26 minutes against Chicago, which he said was his limit for his second game back.

“I feel amazing,” Young said. “They did their job, put me right at 26 minutes. They weren’t allowing me to do any more. ... I feel great.”

Young led the NBA in assists last season and is a four-time All-Star. He scored only eight points in 20 minutes in his first game back, a 133-126 loss at Charlotte on Thursday night. He was back in his high-scoring form against Chicago but missed a last-second jumper that would have tied the game.

“Those are shots that he makes," Snyder said. “You feel good about getting the ball in the right guy’s hands.”

Snyder said the Hawks “had a lot of breakdowns in execution” on defense in the first half. The Bulls scored 69 points in the second half and made 54.3% of their shots from the field, but Snyder said his defense “did a better job with that in the second half as far as making them work hard.”

Young said the high-scoring pace was no surprise.

“It’s how both teams play,” Young said. "Both teams play fast. Teams are coming in here and playing fast against us. We’ve got to figure out how to stop a team that can only play fast.'

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Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci, center, reacts after an injury during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)

Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) shoots over Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)

Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis shoots during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)

Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) looks to shoot over Chicago Bulls guard Kevin Huerter, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) misses a game-tying shot as time expires against Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jack Hughes returned to the Devils’ lineup just over five weeks after having finger surgery and scored New Jersey's first goal against Buffalo on Sunday night.

Hughes received a loud ovation when he skated out for warmups, then scored his 11th goal of the season at 8:51 of the first period. That gave the Devils a 1-0 lead and brought more sustained cheers as Hughes raced in celebration to center ice where he was mobbed by teammates.

Hughes was expected to miss two months after his Nov. 15 operation at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. The 24-year-old center injured his right hand at a team dinner in Chicago a couple of nights earlier.

Hughes was the Devils’ leading scorer at the time of his injury with 20 points, and New Jersey was in first place in the Eastern Conference. The Devils lost 10 of 18 games without Hughes.

Getting back on the ice in game action paves the way for Hughes to be selected for the U.S. Olympic team. The roster deadline for the Milan Games is Dec. 31.

Devils forward Timo Meier also returned for New Jersey after taking a leave of absence earlier this month to attend to a family health matter. He had missed five games.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

FILE - New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes moves the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Oct. 30, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, file)