Hawks Blow Past Wizards but Lose Jalen Johnson to Injury in the Process
The good news: the Hawks got a win over the Wizards and moved to 8-7 this season. The bad news? Forward Jalen Johnson was injured and there has been no update on his status yet. He hurt his wrist tonight and did not come back in the game.
As for the game itself, Atlanta did not let a bad team get a win over them and led by 29 going into the fourth quarter. The offense was at a high level all night for the Hawks and with a game tomorrow night against Boston, it was advantageous to get the lead to try and get rest for the starters tomorrow in a tough game.
Coming into the game, the Hawks went with their regular starting lineup of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Johnson, and Clint Capela.
Just minutes before tip-off, Wizards shooting guard Jordan Poole was ruled out and Corey Kispert got the start in his place.
Jalen Johnson was injured against the Wizards tonight
Atlanta led by 12 at the half and while things did get close for a second in the second quarter, Atlanta distanced themselves with a 37-20 third quarter. After the dismal defensive performances they had against the Pacers and the Nets, it was good to see the Hawks not let a team score at that level (yes, I know it was the Wizards but the Hawks's defense was dreadful in the previous games).
Trae Young finished with 26 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds and continued his great play. Capela had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds and Hunter had his second straight game of scoring at least 20 points. Murray had a double-double as well with 11 points and 10 assists. Bey and Bogdanovic had 13 and 15 points respectively.
Atlanta led by 30 in the 4th and it was time for Trent Forrest, AJ Griffin, and Bruno Fernando to make their appearance. The final score was 136-108 and Atlanta finished the game shooting 52% from the field and 48% from three.
The big question is going to be the health of Johnson. He has been huge for this team this year and losing him for an extended period of time would be a big blow. Let's just wait and see how long he will be out.
Up next for the Hawks is a big challenge against the Boston Celtics on the road at 6:00.
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