Atlanta Hawks defeated Brooklyn Nets 108-97 at State Farm Arena Thursday, extending the NBA’s longest active winning streak to eight games. Jalen Johnson narrowly missed a triple-double, finishing with 21 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.
Zaccharie Risacher added 19 points, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker contributed 18 and CJ McCollum 14 as Atlanta moved into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, 1½ games behind seventh-place Toronto. The Hawks began the streak with a win over the Nets on February 22.
Brooklyn struggled without leading scorer Michael Porter Jr., sidelined with a sprained right ankle, though Josh Minott posted a career-high 24 points. The Nets fell to 17-49, losing 12 of their last 14 games.
The game was close entering the fourth quarter, with Brooklyn holding an 83-82 lead, before McCollum scored six points during a 10-0 Hawks run. Brooklyn did not get closer than four points for the remainder of the contest.
Atlanta led 57-50 at halftime, with Johnson scoring 14 points in the second half. Jonathan Kuminga returned from a three-game absence due to a bone bruise in his left knee, adding nine rebounds in 19 minutes. The Hawks were without Dyson Daniels, out with a sprained toe.
Atlanta shot 39 percent from the field and 30 percent from three-point range, while converting 26 of 35 free throws. The team collected 51 rebounds, including 22 on the offensive glass, helping control the pace. Brooklyn made 47 percent of their shots and 39 percent from beyond the arc but could not sustain momentum without Porter Jr.
The Hawks now look ahead to hosting the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, while the Nets will travel to Philadelphia.
