Why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Knew Cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker Would Shine in Atlanta

OKLAHOMA CITY — In the midst of a gritty final frame against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and the Atlanta Hawks due to which the minus of 15 points was reduced to four (129-125). Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault again inserted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander down the stretch as his cousin — Alexander-Walker — led the way Trae Young and Jaylen Johnson without Team Hawks with 30 points, including six three-pointers.

Then, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder went on an 11-4 run to shut out the Hawks in a 140-129 victory for the second night of back-to-back games at the Paicom Center. After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander talked about Alexander-Walker impact in Monday’s game.

“Really good player. You saw parts of that last year with Minnesota. He had a big game in the conference finals — I knew he was capable of the caliber he’s at now — really good player,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “He gets an opportunity to show his talent and he takes advantage of it.”

Alexander-Walker was 11-for-24 from the floor, including 6-for-14 from deep and 2-for-3 from the free throw line. He also finished with five assists, four rebounds, and two steals. NAV’s 30 points led six Hawks players in double figures, including Oneko Okongwu (26 points), Vito Krejci (18 points) and Luke Kennard (12 points). All four connected on at least three 3-pointers to combine for 16 of Atlanta’s 15 3-pointers.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker on how the Hawks have improved their efforts

Before the Thunder extended their losing streak to seven games on Monday in an 11-point loss to the defending champions, Nikhil Alexander-Walker praised the Hawks’ efforts in a 128-125 loss to the Knicks on Saturday.

For Alexander-Walker, the Hawks’ newfound focus despite their injury-riddled roster was the result of a team discussion that helped get everyone on the same page.

“We had a real meeting with the whole group and said, ‘We’ve got to do better,'” Nick Alexander-Walker 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 that’s just unlucky,” Alexander-Walker concluded.

The Hawks will try to snap a seven-game losing streak against the Timberwolves on Wednesday.