Jalen Johnson sparks the Hawks' eighth straight win with a big performance, as Atlanta improves to 35-31, and continues to climb in the standings.
The Atlanta Hawks are the hottest team in the NBA, as Jalen Johnson's big performance on Thursday night lifts the Hawks over the Nets for their eighth straight victory. Atlanta is now 35-31, and make no mistake about it, the Hawks were tested in this win against Brooklyn. Final score: ATL 108, Nets 97.
It was a three-point game heading into the fourth quarter, but Atlanta outscored Brooklyn 26-18 in the final frame. Jalen Johnson had a team-high 21 points with nine rebounds and nine assists, but overall, another balanced scoring night for Atlanta. Johnson hit a couple of clutch threes in the fourth quarter that gave the Hawks separation.
It's also seven straight wins at State Farm Arena, as the Hawks are now 17-16 at home during this season.
Deja Vu for the Brooklyn Nets, who endure another strong scoring drought against the Hawks late in the fourth quarter.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker said the key to the victory was defense after the game with Hawks' reporter Madison Houck:
"Defense, simple, I don't think they really scored much in those 11 minutes that you're talking about. Just a couple lapses at the end but I think we locked in defensively, we got stops. That's what we talked about with teams like this, offense is going to come."
Alexander-Walker finished with 18 points and went a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line. Jonathan Kuminga also returned to the rotation, but wasn't as effective in scoring as he was in his first three games with the team. Kuminga finished with two points in 19 minutes.
The Hawks need to continue stacking wins like this against teams that they should beat, and that's exactly what the team has done against favorable opponents. The best part about this win was that the Hawks had an off shooting game, especially in the second half, but 22 second-chance points strongly aided in Thursday night's win.
Zaccharie Risacher had a really good scoring night, which is great to see if you're a Hawks fan. And with the Detroit Pistons' win over the 76ers, the Hawks are now the eighth seed in the East by virtue of the tiebreaker, as they continue to pursue the 6th seed.
Up next for the Hawks: the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic at home. Two teams that the Hawks will have a good chance against to continue their winning ways.