Jalen Johnson scored a season-high 30 points on his return from injury as the Atlanta Hawks rallied from 17 points down to beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-121 at State Farm Arena on Saturday night.
Johnson, who had missed three games with a sprained ankle, added seven rebounds and six assists, scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback, according to Field Level Media and Sportradar. It was Atlanta’s fourth straight win.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 20 points and Aaron Wiggins added 20, with 12 in the fourth quarter, as the Hawks improved to 7-4. The Nets fall to 2-7.
Johnson’s perfect return
Johnson’s return could not have gone better. The Hawks forward was the best player on the floor, scoring 30 points on his first game back and taking over in the fourth quarter when Atlanta needed him most.
His 12 fourth-quarter points turned the game, and his all-round performance — seven rebounds, six assists — underlined how much the Hawks had missed him during his three-game absence.
Alexander-Walker and Wiggins provided the support, with Wiggins also scoring 12 in the final quarter, and the Hawks’ depth proved decisive down the stretch.
Nets let it slip
Brooklyn will feel they let this one get away. Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 25 points and nine rebounds, Julius Randle added 19 points and eight assists, and Nolan Traore scored 19, with Mikel Brown Jr. adding 18 off the bench.
Day’Ron Sharpe recorded 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists for the Nets, but a 17-point lead was not enough against a Hawks side who refused to go away. Brooklyn’s defeat leaves them at 2-7, and they need to learn how to close out games they are winning.
What comes next
Atlanta’s fourth straight win has them building serious momentum in the Eastern Conference, and Johnson’s return gives them another weapon. Atlanta’s four-game winning streak is their best run of the season so far, and it has lifted them firmly into the Eastern Conference playoff picture. For Johnson, the night was proof that his ankle is fully healed, and his 12 fourth-quarter points were the loudest statement of the evening. Brooklyn, meanwhile, must regroup quickly before their next game.
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