Jalen Johnson nets 28 to help Hawks end Thunder win streak

Field Level Media|published: Wed 3rd January, 22:47 2024

Jan 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe (11) shoots against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the first half at State Farm Arena. credits: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Johnson scored a career-high 28 points, one of four Atlanta players with 20-plus, to help the Hawks hang on to beat visiting Oklahoma City 141-138 on Wednesday and end the Thunder's five-game winning streak.

Atlanta led from wire-to-wire and survived a late Oklahoma City rally. The Hawks led by 15 points with 2:27 remaining, but the Thunder cut the lead to three points with 27 seconds left on a bucket by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

After Atlanta's Bogdan Bogdanovic missed a 3-pointer, Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed the rebound with 3.2 seconds left. Oklahoma City ran a play out of the timeout to Isaiah Joe, who missed the potential game-tying 3-pointer at the horn.

The win gave Atlanta a split of the season series. The Thunder won by nine points in Oklahoma City on Nov. 6.

The Hawks also got 24 points and 11 assists from Trae Young, 23 points from Bogdanovic, and 22 points from Dejounte Murray.

Oklahoma City was led by Gilgeous-Alexander with 33 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. It was the eighth time in his last nine games that he has scored 30-plus points. The Thunder also got 21 points from Jalen Williams.

The Thunder, who arrived at their Atlanta hotel at 4:30 a.m. after their home win over Boston, was sluggish out of the gate. Atlanta scored the first 11 points of the game and grabbed a 39-25 lead after the first quarter, with Bogdanovic coming off the bench to score 11.

The Hawks continued to build their lead in the second quarter. Atlanta led by 21 (63-42) on a 3-point basket by Saddiq Bey at 4:47 and took a 76-59 advantage into the break.

Gilgeous-Alexander played every minute of the third quarter and scored 14 points to help keep the Thunder in the game. Oklahoma City got as close as seven points on three occasions early in the quarter, but Atlanta used 3-pointers from Young and Bogdanovic to weather the threat and led 116-103 after the third quarter.

Atlanta plays again on Friday at Indiana. Oklahoma City makes the second stop on its four-game road trip on Friday at Brooklyn.

—Field Level Media

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