LAS VEGAS (AP) — The chances were there for the Hawks to continue their unanticipated run in the NBA Cup and make Tuesday night's final.
Just 12 strong minutes were what Atlanta needed.
But that's when the Hawks' offense abandoned itself, scoring only 19 points in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 110-102 semifinal loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Hawks were not only outscored by nine points in the fourth quarter, but they made just 5 of 16 shots and missed six of their final seven attempts.
“I know there were a few that were really good shots and we had to work for them,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. "That said, I think we know whatever that is — it could be on the margins — there are certain things that we need to do better.
“But I think for us (just) to put ourselves in that situation, given we didn’t really make shots during the course of the game, either. I think the storyline for me is just how we competed.”
The Hawks made it to Las Vegas by going 3-1 in group play — including a 117-116 victory over reigning champion Boston — and then winning at New York 108-100 in a quarterfinal on Wednesday.
After finishing off the Knicks, Trae Young pretended to roll dice on the Madison Square Garden midcourt.
There would be no such celebration in the nation's gambling capital, even with a sizeable Hawks crowd behind them.
But that doesn't mean the Hawks didn't take a lot from the experience as they try to show the Eastern Conference doesn't just belong to the Celtics, Knicks and the 22-4 Cavaliers — a team Atlanta also defeated in group play.
“I think what we have done in this Cup was really, really special,” said Young, who came close to his fourth career triple-double with 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. “I think we’ve really found the way we want to play and figured out the tempo we want to play at and things like that.”
“I feel like this Cup was really good for us. For a young team to go as far as we did, we can really use this as hopefully momentum going into the rest of the season.”
But Young lamented the missed opportunities in the fourth quarter that could have made the NBA Cup even more meaningful.
“We showed throughout this whole Cup that we belong,” said Jalen Johnson, who totaled 15 points and 10 rebounds. "We can compete with the best of them. Unfortunately, today we came up short. It’s just going to give us a lot to learn from moving forward. Especially down the stretch in those last five, six minutes, I’ve definitely got to be better.
“Just as a team, we’ve got a lot of room to grow, but I’m proud of everybody. We defeated a lot of odds coming in, making it all the way to Vegas. There’s nothing to hang our heads about. We’ve just got to keep moving in the right direction.”
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Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young reacts after missing a 3-point basket during the second half of a semifinal game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup basketball tournament Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young looks to shoot during the first half of a semifinal game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup basketball tournament Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young looks to shoot during the first half of a semifinal game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup basketball tournament Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives past Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. (5) during the first half of a semifinal game in the NBA Cup basketball tournament Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
NEW YORK (AP) — Two-way star Travis Hunter of Colorado won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, punctuating a tireless performance all season by a dynamic player with a unique combination of skills.
The wide receiver and lockdown cornerback dominated on both sides of the ball for coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes, joining late running back Rashaan Salaam in 1994 as the only players in school history to take home college football's most prestigious individual award.
Hunter received 552 first-place votes and 2,231 points in a comfortable victory. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was the runner-up with 309 first-place votes and 2,017 points.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel came in third and Miami quarterback Cam Ward finished fourth in balloting for the 90th Heisman Trophy, presented annually since 1935 to the nation’s most outstanding player. This year’s ceremony was held at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, where Sanders was in attendance.
It marked only the fifth time this century a quarterback didn’t win. The last time no signal-caller placed in the top two was 2015, when running backs Derrick Henry of Alabama and Christian McCaffrey ran 1-2 in voting.
Hunter also won The Associated Press player of the year award this week. He helped spark an impressive turnaround at Colorado, from 4-8 in 2023 when he missed 3 1/2 games because of injuries to 9-3 this year in Sanders’ second season. The 20th-ranked Buffaloes got their first bowl bid in four years and will face No. 17 BYU (10-2) in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.
Hunter has pledged to play, rather than skip the game to prepare for the NFL draft and prevent any possible injury as many top prospects do. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior from Suwanee, Georgia, plans to pass up his senior season in Boulder and is expected to be a top-five pick by the pros — perhaps even No. 1 overall.
Showcasing his blazing speed and explosive playmaking, Hunter rarely came off the field this year — making him an every-down throwback to generations gone by and the first full-time, true two-way star in decades.
On offense, he had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus a rushing score. On defense, he made four interceptions, 32 tackles, broke up 11 passes and forced a critical fumble that secured an overtime victory against Baylor.
With the Buffaloes winning games and challenging for a Big 12 title, he soared from a long-shot underdog in Heisman futures last summer to a heavy betting favorite this week.
All the while, striking the Heisman pose with teammates to celebrate big plays as it became more and more clear Hunter was the man to beat.
He played 688 defensive snaps and 672 more on offense — the only Power Four conference player with 30-plus snaps on both sides of the ball, according to Colorado research.
It would seem an overly exhausting workload for any player these days, both mentally and physically, but not Hunter.
“I think I laid the ground for more people to come in and go two ways,” he said Friday. “It starts with your mindset. If you believe you can do it, then you’ll be able to do it. And also, I do a lot of treatment. I keep up with my body. I get a lot of recovery.”
Rated the country’s top recruit in the 2022 class, Hunter surprised many when he committed to play for Sanders at Jackson State, an HBCU that competes in the lower-level FCS, with the promise of playing both offense and defense.
After one season, Hunter followed Sanders to Colorado and was a consensus All-America selection as an all-purpose player last year despite sitting out three games with a lacerated liver caused by a late hit.
Following his recovery, a healthy Hunter finished strong in 2023 and then really took off this season, catching passes from Shedeur Sanders, the coach’s son, and becoming Colorado’s first Heisman Trophy finalist in 30 years.
Deion Sanders, nicknamed Prime Time during his playing days — seemingly by himself — was a two-time All-America defensive back at Florida State and finished eighth in 1988 Heisman voting.
An electrifying kick returner, who also played major league baseball by the way, Neon Deion went on to a Hall of Fame career as an NFL cornerback but mostly just dabbled on offense besides a 36-catch season with the 1996 Dallas Cowboys.
Nothing quite like Hunter, who now has a Heisman leg up on Coach Prime forever.
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Heisman Trophy finalist Travis Hunter, of Colorado, speaks speaks at a college football press conference, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
Heisman Trophy finalists, from left, Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, Colorado's Travis Hunter, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty and Miami's Cam Ward pose with the trophy during a college football press conference, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
Heisman Trophy finalist Travis Hunter, of Colorado, speaks speaks at a college football press conference, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter, left, pulls in a pass ahead of Baylor linebacker Keaton Thomas during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FILE- Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter, front, is tackled after pulling in a pass by Oklahoma State safety Kobe Hylton in the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts as he warms up before an NCAA college football game against Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Heisman Trophy finalist Travis Hunter, of Colorado, speaks during a college football media availability, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) celebrates his touchdown catch during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Central Florida, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Heisman Trophy finalist Travis Hunter, of Colorado, speak at a college football press conference, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) catches a pass in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown reception ahead of Central Florida defensive back Brandon Adams during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Heisman Trophy finalist Travis Hunter, of Colorado, speak at a college football press conference, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
Heisman Trophy finalists, from left, Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, Colorado's Travis Hunter, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty and Miami's Cam Ward pose with the trophy during a college football press conference, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) catches a pass over Central Florida defensive back Brandon Adams (0) defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) flies in for a touchdown past, from left, Utah linebacker Johnathan Hall, cornerback Smith Snowden and safety Nate Ritchie during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) runs after catching a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Central Florida, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts in the second half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Heisman Trophy finalist Travis Hunter, of Colorado, stands with the trophy during a college football press conference, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
