Zaccharie Risacher shines with seven threes as Hawks dominate the Pelicans. Jalen Johnson leads after Trae Young's departure, securing a crucial victory.
The Atlanta Hawks picked up a much-needed 117-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night to improve to 18-21. The Hawks officially traded Trae Young halfway through this game, as the All-Star guard is on his way to the Washington Wizards.
This night belonged to Zaccharie Risacher, who scored 25 points on seven made three-pointers. Jalen Johnson, who is now the new star in Atlanta, scored 19 points and recorded eight rebounds, and five assists.
After the game, Risacher said he felt comfortable throughout the night and was able to impact the game beyond just scoring.
“I was feeling pretty good, and I think the best part of me feeling good is I was able to help my team in different ways, offensively, but also defensively,” Risacher said.
Perhaps what the Hawks needed most to get going again is not having to play the Toronto Raptors. Atlanta dropped its last two games to the Raptors and has been season-swept by Toronto already. The Hawks and Raptors squared off four times.
As for the contest on Wednesday, it was a must-win for the Hawks, who needed to get off a 2-8 skid before heading out west.
The Hawks put together a complete performance against the Pelicans, as they quickly got off to an 11-point lead before the first quarter was over. Atlanta eventually turned a 65-53 lead into halftime behind Jalen Johnson's strong first-half showing. Once the second half opened up, the Hawks kept the pace on offense and didn't allow New Orleans to score for nearly five minutes into the third quarter.
New Orleans shot very poorly from the field in the third quarter, which resulted in a Hawks 23-point lead headed into the fourth quarter, and Atlanta coasted from there.
Atlanta had seven different players in double-figure scoring, so the stat sheet was balanced with Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard also adding strong scoring efforts.
Following the win, Alexander-Walker said the performance reflected the type of identity Atlanta is trying to establish amid ongoing change.
“Just the type of team that we have to be, and who we were tonight, and why we were so effective, and keeping in mind that it’s important for us to continue to carve out and mold into our identity (and) to really hone in on that, and for us to take the next step into being a great team with all the change, with all the noise, first drawing it out, and then to continue to carve in our identity and embrace that and try to be that. Every night,” Alexander-Walker said.
This contest featured a battle of former first-overall draft picks in Risacher and Zion Williamson, and both played exceptionally.
Center Onkeyka Okokgwu did not play in this one against the Pelicans, so Mouhammed Gueye started in his place, and Kristaps Porzingis made notable contributions as well.
In a deep Eastern Conference, the Hawks will attempt to get on a little winning streak in their next matchup against the Nuggets on Friday. Things will not get easier for the Hawks, as they are now on a four-game road trip that features the aforementioned Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors.