Trae Young made history in the Atlanta Hawks' 125-121 victory over the Denver Nuggets, but coach Lloyd Pierce was quick to remind him he can improve.

The Hawks guard became the youngest player to register at least 30 points and 10 assists in three straight games with a sensational display at Pepsi Center on Tuesday.

Young poured in a season-high 42 points on 13-of-21 shooting – the highlight being a successful jump shot after sending the ball through Will Barton's legs – and supplied 11 assists as Atlanta ended a three-game losing streak.

However, Pierce made sure to highlight one of Young's shortcomings in his post-game news conference.

"I'm not impressed with his free throws," said Pierce. "He went 8-for-11, he's got to go 11-for-11.

"He missed two the other night, he missed three tonight. There's always something. Everyone else can praise him but I've got to stay on him.

"But, no, he was great. The three-ball was rolling. We had 30 assists on 44 made baskets which is an impressive number for us, that's been one of the areas we haven't capitalised on this year.

"Obviously, the three-ball went down tonight and we needed that. [Young is] great in the pick and roll. You have to scheme and we found something that we were able to attack."

The Hawks fought back from 12-0 down in the first quarter and Young was proud to have played a key role in the victory.

"I'm having a lot of fun. My shots are going in right now and hopefully that continues to happen. I'm just trying to do whatever it takes to help our team win and put us in the best position to win," Young told FOX Sports.

"We gutted one out. We actually finished the game. It's tough seeing Kev [Kevin Huerter] go out early – he had a hot start. It's a great team win, especially against a good team on the road.

"We're a resilient team, no matter how far we're down or how far we're up, we're going to keep fighting. I'm happy with the way we played and the way we finished it off."