Atlanta, GA — The Atlanta Hawks continued their hot streak Thursday night, defeating the Brooklyn Nets 108–97 to extend the NBA’s longest active winning run to eight games.
Jalen Johnson delivered an all-around performance with 21 points, nine boards, and nine assists, narrowly missing a triple-double. Rookie Zaccharie Risacher added 19 points, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 18 and CJ McCollum chipped in 14 for the Hawks.
The victory helped Atlanta climb to eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, moving within 1½ games of the seventh-place Toronto Raptors.
Brooklyn received a standout effort from Josh Minott, who poured in a career-high 24 points. The Nets have now dropped 12 of their last 14 games and played without leading scorer Michael Porter Jr., who sat out with a sprained right ankle.
The game tightened heading into the final quarter when Brooklyn took an 83–82 lead. Atlanta quickly regained control as McCollum sparked a decisive 10–0 run with six points, pushing the Hawks ahead for good. The Nets were unable to close the gap to fewer than four points the rest of the night.
Atlanta held a 57–50 advantage at the half and pulled away in the second half behind Johnson, who scored 14 of his 21 points after the break.
The Hawks also welcomed Jonathan Kuminga back to the lineup after he missed three games with a bone bruise in his left knee. Kuminga grabbed nine rebounds in 19 minutes. Atlanta was still without Dyson Daniels, who remained sidelined with a sprained toe.
Up Next: The Nets travel to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, while the Hawks return home to host the Milwaukee Bucks.
