Jalen Johnson's dominant 32-point, 15-rebound, 8-assist performance snapped the Hawks' losing streak in a thrilling 124-122 victory.
The Atlanta Hawks got off the schneid on Wednesday night with a 124-122 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Atlanta had been carrying a four-game losing streak before playing Memphis, and the victory improved Atlanta to 21-25. The Hawks are now 14-12 on the road this season after winning in Memphis.
Jalen Johnson was the catalyst for the Hawks, as he had a big night in all aspects of the game. His final stat line: 32 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists. It's consecutive games for Johnson posting 15+ rebounds. Onkeya Okongwu also had a solid scoring output with 18 points.
Despite trailing by 10+ early in the first quarter, the Hawks rebounded nicely in the winning, nail-biting effort.
"Overall, we just did a great job executing those last five minutes," said Jalen Johnson following the win. "I think if we can have that carry over into these games moving forward we'll be alright."
Part of the reason the Hawks had been on a four-game losing streak in the first place is because of a couple of games where Jalen Johnson hadn't been as efficient as the Hawks have seen from him, but these last two games are a strong indicator that Johnson is back and ready to carry this team down the stretch.
The Grizzlies held a 110-108 lead with five minutes left to play, but the Hawks rattled off eight straight points after that. It was Johnson who scored a clutch bucket with 46 seconds left to keep Memphis trailing.
The game featured 21 lead changes and 14 ties throughout the 48 minutes of regulation.
Wednesday's game was also a return to Memphis for Luke Kennard, who had spent three seasons with the Grizzlies. He added 18 points, including 16 in the first half, on multiple three-pointers made.
Ja Morant led the way for Memphis with 23 points and 12 assists.
"He played with a lot of fire tonight," said Hawks head coach Quin Snyder on Luke Kennard's effort in the win. " You know, his midrange is basically like a layup, but the fact he competed too, he came up with a huge loose ball rebound late. We had a lot of guys that brought good energy."
The Hawks will now return to State Farm Arena for a two-game home stretch against the Phoenix Suns on Friday and the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Atlanta is 7-13 at home this season, and these next two games are very important for Eastern Conference standings purposes.