The Atlanta Hawks extended the NBA’s longest active winning streak Thursday night, defeating the Brooklyn Nets 108–97 for their eighth straight victory.
Jalen Johnson led the way with 21 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, narrowly missing a triple-double, while Zaccharie Risacher added 19 points. The Hawks’ streak began with a win over Brooklyn on Feb. 22 and has lifted Atlanta into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, 1½ games behind the seventh-place Toronto Raptors.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker contributed 18 points and CJ McCollum added 14 for Atlanta.
Brooklyn was led by Josh Minott, who scored a career-high 24 points, but the Nets have now lost 12 of their last 14 games. Brooklyn was also without leading scorer Michael Porter Jr., who sat out with a sprained right ankle.
The Nets briefly grabbed momentum early in the fourth quarter, taking an 83–82 lead. Atlanta quickly responded as McCollum scored six points during a decisive 10–0 run that put the Hawks back in control. Brooklyn never got closer than four points the rest of the way.
Atlanta led 57–50 at halftime, and Johnson helped secure the win with 14 points after the break.
Jonathan Kuminga returned to the Hawks’ lineup after missing three games with a bone bruise in his left knee and finished with nine rebounds in 19 minutes. Atlanta was without Dyson Daniels, who is dealing with a sprained toe.
Up next: The Brooklyn Nets visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. The Atlanta Hawks host the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
