The Atlanta Hawks beat the Brooklyn Nets 141-107 behind 25 points from CJ McCollum, extending their win streak to four games and tightening the East standings.
CJ McCollum scored 25 points with seven assists and the Atlanta Hawks routed the Brooklyn Nets 141-107 on Friday night for their fourth consecutive victory and 18th in 20 games.
McCollum was 8 of 12 from the field and 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points, three steals, and three blocks, and Jalen Johnson had 18 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Onyeka Okongwu finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Corey Kispert added 13 points off the bench, going 3 of 4 from deep, and Jonathan Kuminga contributed 12 points. Dyson Daniels chipped in 11 points, six assists, and five steals.
Nic Claxton led Brooklyn with 16 points. Malachi Smith scored 15, and Nolan Traore added 13. The Nets fell to 18-59 with their second straight loss. Noah Clowney was ejected in the third quarter after receiving two technical fouls in a span of two seconds.
Atlanta scored the first 10 points and never looked back, building a lead it never relinquished over 48 minutes. The Hawks led 35-17 with 1:28 left in the first quarter before stretching the advantage to 71-55 at halftime, with McCollum accounting for 16 of those points on 4-of-5 shooting, including three 3-pointers without a miss.
Brooklyn kept it within range through three quarters, trimming the deficit to 13 entering the fourth, in part by matching Atlanta's 26 fast-break points and holding its own in the paint. But the Nets' sloppiness proved costly throughout: Brooklyn committed 20 turnovers that the Hawks converted into 35 points, compared to Atlanta's 13 giveaways that yielded 11. The Hawks shot 56.7 percent from the field and assisted on 36 of their 51 made baskets.
Atlanta broke it open in the final frame with an 18-6 run. Kispert hit a 3-pointer from the left corner and made two free throws, Alexander-Walker drained his third 3 of the night, and McCollum converted a layup before Kispert connected again from deep. Okongwu capped the burst with a dunk to put the Hawks up 27 with 6:07 remaining. Atlanta outscored Brooklyn 43-22 in the fourth.
"I know we're kind of in the rat race," McCollum said. "Play our basketball, move the ball. Defensively, make sure we're staying engaged and locked in. They thrive on transition. They thrive on turnovers, and they got out and ran a little bit. They cut into our lead a couple times because of lack of ball movement. But I think all in all, we did a pretty good job of controlling the game and did enough to win."
Hawks coach Quin Snyder praised the team's defensive intensity, specifically the backcourt pressure applied by Daniels and Alexander-Walker.
"Obviously, Dyson and Nickeil are the head of the snake, so to speak, with that two-headed snake," Snyder said. "But I think it raises other guys' level when you see someone working like that. I thought Jonathan tonight was terrific defensively. We just got to make sure we have good offensive possessions and don't turn it over, so we get a chance to set our defense."
The Hawks, fifth in the Eastern Conference at 45-33, moved to 1 1/2 games ahead of sixth-place Philadelphia and maintained a 2-game cushion over Toronto, which beat Memphis on Friday to pull within that margin. Charlotte also won to move within a game of the Raptors for the seventh seed. Atlanta returns home to host the New York Knicks on Monday night at State Farm Arena.