Jalen Johnson exploded late, fueling an 18-0 run and a crucial Hawks victory. McCollum's new role also ignited Atlanta's offense.
The Atlanta Hawks were aided by a 24-2 run deep into the fourth quarter to secure a much-needed 115-104 victory against the lowly Brooklyn Nets at home. Atlanta's defense made a strong defensive stand against Brooklyn in the fourth quarter by not allowing the Nets to make a field goal for the final four minutes of the contest. The Hawks finished the game on an 18-0 run to improve to 28-31, and 11-16 at State Farm Arena.
Jalen Johnson propelled the Hawks to victory with a strong fourth quarter. After a poor stretch of shooting for the first three quarters of the game, Johnson put the Hawks on his back to finish with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and multiple key baskets in the final four minutes of the game.
The Hawks made a notable switch in their starting lineup by moving a struggling Zaccharie Risacher to the bench and giving CJ McCollum a shot in the starting lineup. Risacher shot the ball better, but still only finished with seven points on 3-for-7 shooting in 19 minutes on the court.
"I had a chance to talk about it with Zacch [Risacher], " said Hawks head coach Quin Snyder following the game. "Obviously, he was the one who didn't start, and I think the biggest thing is it doesn't reflect on our, or my personal belief in Zacch, but it actually could be a positive for him just to kinda be in the game at a different stage."
Snyder also had this to say about Risacher after the game: "Zacch's about all the right stuff. His development is something that's going to continue to happen whether he's starting or coming off the bench."
McCollum hit two huge threes for the Hawks in the fourth quarter, and in his new starting role, he finished with 16 points in 32 minutes. It will be interesting to see if Atlanta continues to roll with McCollum as the No.5 in the lineup, as he's shot the ball well in the past few games.
Jock Landale had a solid game off the bench, and his best shooting game since his first game after being traded to the Hawks. He ended with 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting and multiple three-pointers made.
Perhaps the biggest catalyst to Atlanta winning this one was their strong rebounding effort. Atlanta outrebounded the Nets 52-34.
This was a game Atlanta absolutely had to have during its home stretch. The Hawks have three consecutive games at State Farm ahead of them, and eight of their next nine games will be in Atlanta.
The Nets are a potentially tanking team in the NBA, and this loss against the Hawks might prove the point that tanking is a real concept in the NBA, as Brooklyn traded shots with Atlanta until about six minutes left to go in the game, but went ICE cold to end the game.