The Atlanta Hawks were in action on Sunday afternoon to face the Brooklyn Nets. The Hawks were coming off a rough loss to the Miami Heat on Friday, where they were dominated in the second half of the game. Two days later, they faced up against a Nets team that hasn’t played the best this season but still competes.
The Hawks made a change to their starting lineup, starting CJ McCollum and bringing Zaccharie Risacher off the bench. Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution was the first to report
the news.
The Hawks started off making plays on defense, which led to easy points on the other end.
Risacher came in and knocked down a quick three-pointer in his new role.
The Hawks had a seven-point lead early, but the Nets were able to erase that. Atlanta still maintained the lead, and Jock Landale helped them do that with two three-pointers in the first.
It was a close game heading into the second, with the Hawks holding a 32-30 lead.
The second unit carried the Hawks to start the second, and Corey Kispert was able to extend the Hawks’ lead with this three-pointer.
Landale continued to have a strong half, knocking down another three-pointer.
The Hawks built an eight-point lead at that point, but the Nets once again found a way to work back into the game. Not only were they able to do that, but they ended up taking the lead as well.
The Nets found their way with the Hawks in the paint, which was a big reason for them getting the lead. Once the Hawks were able to get a few stops, while also making some shots, they settled down late in the first half and got the lead back, thanks to McCollum.
Going into halftime, the Hawks led 60-56.
The Nets once again battled back from another deficit to start the third, and they also took the lead at one point. The Hawks kept finding ways to score, and Onyeka Okongwu threw down this huge dunk in the third.
The Hawks took the lead again late in the quarter, thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Going into the fourth, the Hawks led 89-87.
The Nets came out to start the fourth on fire from three, and it helped them get the lead once again. This time, they were able to build their biggest lead of the game, and they started off 4-of-4 from three. Meanwhile, the Hawks had a hard time finding anything on offense, which led to their deficit reaching double digits.
After being down 11, the switch finally flipped for the Hawks in fourth, and they started to make their run. It all started with their defense.
McCollum knocked down a big three-pointer to give the Hawks the lead.
Johnson added on to the lead with a bucket, plus the foul.
The Hawks didn’t look back from there, as the Nets didn’t have an answer for anything and fell flat. In the end, the Hawks were able to overcome an 11-point deficit to get the win at home.
Johnson finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, McCollum finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, Alexander-Walker finished with 17 point, and Okongwu finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Hawks will be back in action on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards.
