Nets vs. Hawks preview: Down vs. Up in Brooklyn

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - APRIL 01: Nickeil Alexander-Walker #7 of the Atlanta Hawks goes to the basket against Jamal Cain #8 of the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Kia Center on April 01, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or

Summarized by AI ⓘ

What is the story about?

Six games left. That is the total amount of dates before we can set our eyes on a brighter future.

A few days ago, Brooklyn was belittled by a red hot Charlotte Hornets team that have been enjoying the fruits of its labor. Including their victory against the Nets and their 20 point win against the Phoenix Suns yesterday, the Hornets have won seven of their last nine contests and are one game ahead of the Orlando Magic for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They are a few steps away from making

their first playoff appearance exactly 10 seasons ago.

Tonight, the Nets will be taking on a similar opponent who have been red hot in their own right. The Atlanta Hawks, currently fifth in the Eastern Conference, have become one of the league’s most exciting teams after they parted ways with their former star guard in Trae Young. As the Nets look for more advantages to increase their draft odds, this game may be in their favor.

Where to Watch

Catch the action at 7:30 p.m. ET on the YES Network and NBA League Pass as well as streaming on the Gotham Sports App.

Injury Report

MPJ (left hamstring strain), Egor Demin (left plantar fascia injury management), Danny Wolf (left ankle sprain), and Day’Ron Sharpe (left thumb surgery) will be out of action. The Nets three two-ways and two 10-days including new hire, Trevon Scott, should be available. This will be their third game in four days, a G League playoff game sandwiched between two NBA contests.

For the Hawks, Jock Landale (ankle) will miss tonight’s game.

The Game

If I’m the Atlanta Hawks, I couldn’t ask for a better situation.

First, they have not one, but two stars that have taken the rise to become what looks like an epic duo. Jalen Johnson is a matchup nightmare due to the fact that he is a 6’8 point forward who can do everything and fly through the air at the same time. Johnson is currently averaging a near triple double in 22.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists. A couple of months ago, he became the eighth player in league history to record four straight triple doubles.

In the backcourt, Nikeil Alexander-Walker has come to his own in Quinn Snyder’s offense. Averaging 20.6 points, he has taken the point guard duties of this team and made the most of it. Because he is not as ball dominant as Trae Young and he could move without the ball, Alexander-Walker has been able to flourish in this offense, especially with that Alexander-smoothness that he and Shai Gilgeous Alexander both possess. The two are cousins.

Both are great tributes to the Hawks development model. Johnson was drafted at No. 20 by Atlanta. Slowed by injury, he averaged 2.4 points and 5.6 points in his first two years before taking off. Alexander-Walker is more of a mid-career success story. He’s a bit older at 27 and taken a little earlier, at No. 17 (by the Nets who traded his rights to preserve cap space for the Clean Sweep in 2019.)

Secondly, the Hawks match up very well with the powerhouses of the Eastern Conference. With key victories against the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons, they have proven they could make some damage in the playoffs. Besides Alexander-Walker and Johnson, the Hawks have a complete team, especially with other newcomers like C.J. McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga. With so many bigger bodies, playing against guards like Jalen Brunson or James Harden could possibly work in their favor as we head into the Spring.

But before we get to that point, let’s see how the Nets can approach this game. The Kings defeated the Raptors a couple of days ago, which makes this race for draft odds that much more closer.

Player to Watch

Alexander-Walker may not be the success story that Jalen Johnson is, but he may be a better story. NAW, as noted up top, is SGA’s cousin, and now after four teams in seven years, he has found a home. (Jordi Fernandez is familiar with both because they were part of Team Canada when he was head coach.)

Zach Langley of Soaring Down South wrote earlier Friday:

Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s breakout seventh campaign isn’t slowing down.

That’s what’s confirmed this year to be no fluke. His full-season emergence as a two-way star, with career-high averages in every major statistical category, has transformed the outlook of this Hawks team in both the immediate and long-term future.

And as Maxwell Ogden his colleague on SDS noted, his performance is accelerating.

Alexander-Walker entered March averaging 19.8 points on .431/.373/.888 shooting. Those are more than respectable numbers, but his efficiency has gone through the roof since Mar. 1 and given the Hawks a new outlook on what the postseason may hold.

Since May 1, Alexander-Walker is averaging 22.7 points on .528/.468/.942 shooting—on 7.4 three-point field goal attempts per game, no less.

Among players who appeared in at least 10 games in March, only three converted with more efficiency from beyond the arc than Alexander-Walker. Darius Garland was the only player who shot better than Alexander-Walker while attempting at least 7.0 treys per game.

He’s also under contract for another three years at a reasonable $15 million per season. If he keeps this up, he’ll be one of the league’s bargains.

From the Vault

This one is a little late for a obituary and a little early for retrospect but we figure it’s always a good time to honor a Brooklyn legend and singer/songwriter Neil Sedaka qualifies. Sedaka died in February at age 87. Much of the honors we read and listened to was about some of the great songs of the 50’s and 60’s — “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” “Bad Blood,” “Laughter in the Rain” and “Calendar Girl” — there wasn’t a lot about growing up in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach. After all, he lived across the street from Neil Diamond and dated Carole King. (Look them up if you have to.)

“We all lived in Brooklyn,” he said. “It was a wonderful time. It must have been something in the egg cream. We used to hang out in the sweet shop and have egg creams and potato knishes.”

Obviously, a different time, but Brooklyn’s musical legacy extends back a long, long time. Here’s Sedaka singing about his hometown 50 years ago.