Jaylen Johnson shares genuine feelings about winning big before 2026

ATLANTA, Ga. – When the new year arrives, everyone wants to break old habits and create better ones that will set the tone going forward. Honestly, it’s a good idea to break those habits before the new year hits so you can go in with a fresh, clean slate. It is what it is Atlanta Hawks did, like they ended their seven-game losing streak the day before 2026, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-102.

In the past two games, he felt like a breakthrough was coming for the Hawks. Following a sitting where the team presented their thoughts As for what’s happened in the past few weeks, the Hawks still haven’t been able to beat the New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder, but they’ve played the way they wanted to, which is all they needed to get a win like this.

“It was great. It was refreshing,” Jalen Johnson he said after the game. “It was just a complete game from everybody, and just stamina from all of us to be able to do that for 48 minutes. I think that was huge for us and just a step in the right direction. This is one game, and this is something we can continue to build on.

“No one wants to lose that many games in a row. To be able to finish on a day like this, New Year’s Eve, going into a new year with a fresh start and going in with sync, I think that’s huge for everybody.”

The Hawks started the game strong and never looked back. Shots were falling, and the ball was moving in attack. Defensively, they forced the Timberwolves into tough shots, pushed them off the three-point line and kept the paint in check. With all that combined for the Hawks, they could have led by as many as 34 points during the fourth quarter.

The Hawks get a convincing win before the new year

The Hawks could get some extra help in this game, as Kristaps Porzingis returned to the floor after being sidelined for the past two weeks due to illness. He came off the bench and was an instant offense for the team, and his presence in the paint made the difference for a unit that has put up 125+ points in seven straight games.

They only gave up 102 today.

“That’s what we’re aiming for, because we’re going to score on offense, and we’re a pretty efficient scoring team,” Porzingis said. “It’s probably a mix of a lot of things, but one thing that can help us is getting the shots we want and not forcing too many things. When you get the shots you want, then you’re more ready to come back and more ready to set up your defense. We’ve got to keep getting experience as a team. I think that’s going to help.”

Even though the Hawks were on a long losing streak, they never seemed to waver. Some didn’t even notice that the losing streak reached seven points, especially Porzingis.

“Sometimes it is,” Porzingis said. “We probably lost a couple we should have won, and there are streaks like that in the season. There’s no need to overdo it, and I don’t think we did. The coaching staff did a good job just focusing on the day-to-day work and not focusing so much on that result, and tonight was a good reward for us.”

The Hawks will now enter the new year without a losing streak, but starting 2026 doesn’t get any easier when looking at the schedule. Coach Quin Snyder believes that if the Hawks continue to play their game, they will be rewarded for moving on.

“We’re taking care of the ball, moving the ball, making the right plays and playing for each other,” Snyder said. “I think if we can keep doing that, we’ll be a solid team and we can be really competitive. When we don’t, it’s the other way around. So our margin isn’t huge, and that’s fine. But we just have to know that it is what it is and just accept it.”