Nickeil Alexander-Walker reveals how Atlanta has improved its effort

ATLANTA, Ga. – It was their sixth straight loss, but this one felt different than the others.

Yes, Atlanta The Hawks were up by double figures in the first half and had to fight back in the end. Once again, they were outmatched, more precisely on the offensive glass. They had lapses on offense and defense throughout the game, but things didn’t change until the second half and late in the fourth quarter. The Hawks made a valiant effort down the stretch and even took the lead, but in the end the Knicks made just one more play. he helped them win, 128-125.

It could have been the game he was in The Hawks held their heads after the loss their sixth in a row, but the vibes were different after this one, and it was revealed that the team did something after the loss to the Miami Heat.

“We had a real meeting with the whole group and said, ‘We have to do better.’ Nickeil Alexander-Walker he said. “I think you could feel it in the presence of the game, like during a stretch where we weren’t shooting and they were, and they had that little stretch where they pulled it out. We were able to stop the bleeding. We fought back. We made a bunch of mistakes because that’s what the game is going to come down to.”

“Through the ups and downs, we were able to overcome it, we were able to take the lead twice, and it’s just unfortunate.”

It’s typical for a team to meet with players after things haven’t gone their way for a period of time. For the Hawks, it seemed like something like this was going to happen at some point if they continued to grind, and while it didn’t result in a win, they saw positive signs.

“We told each other what needed to be said yesterday,” Jaylen Johnson said. “A lot of guys were talking, so I think that was a good sign. And I think it showed today.”

“I think it’s the productivity of what we’ve done. I look at tonight and say, ‘You know what? I can take a loss this way.’ “You don’t want to lose, but there are things you’re going to accept and not accept,” Alexander-Walker said. “You can’t win every game, and I’m not looking for moral victories, but that’s the input.”

Hawks unable to complete late comeback against Knicks

Once down 18 points in a game, the Hawks looked like they were headed for a possible collapse. The opposite happened, and in the end they fought back and reduced the deficit in the second half. Late in the fourth, Onieka Okongwu came alive and hit two big 3-pointers, one that helped them take the lead.

The Knicks took the lead for a moment, but Nicky Alexander-Walker stole Jalen Brunson and turned it into points at the other end.

“I’m proud of my defense, that’s what got me here today,” Alexander-Walker said. “So being in that position where someone goes at me and they feel like it’s a matchup they want, I took that personally. I think I can play defense and I did my best to stop him.”

With a one-point lead and less than a minute left, all the Hawks needed was a stop. They completed the first step, but the next step was catching the ball, which they failed to do for most of the night. The Knicks went to the free throw line and regained the lead. The Hawks had one more chance, but a key turnover essentially sealed their fate after the Knicks went to the free throw line again to extend their lead to three. Alexander-Walker had a good look at a 3-pointer to tie the game, but missed.

“If we continue to have the same mentality as we did tonight, I think we’ll find a way to win more than once,” Alexander-Walker said. “And we’re growing. Late-game situations, we’re playing in a lot of clutch games, and that’s going to help us. We’re going to build confidence in that.”