Atlanta may have found something in the combustible guard combination of Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The pair, who combined for 55 points on Monday, look to lead the Hawks when they begin a two-game homestand on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Johnson scored 29 points — 25 in the second half — along with 13 rebounds and seven assists in Monday’s 99-98 loss at Eastern Conference-leading Detroit while Alexander-Walker scored 26 points that included six 3-pointers. The Hawks have won four of their last six.
“For our guys to play through what was a really physical game, Jalen in particular, to have the first half he had,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “He just had great poise, wasn’t any part of him that was frustrated. We didn’t get discouraged, and that to me is as much as anything, just, what we take from this game.”
Johnson is averaging 23.2 points, 10 rebounds and 7.3 assists and has 12 double-doubles and two triple-doubles in 20 games. He scored 41 in a double-overtime win at Philadelphia on Nov. 30.
“I’m just trusting my work, and I have the confidence and trust from my teammates and coaches as well,” Johnson said. “When you’ve got that recipe, only good things happen.”
Alexander-Walker is averaging a career-high 20.4 points — his best was 12.8 points in 2021-22 with New Orleans — and scored a career-high 38 against San Antonio last month.
Both are blossoming while four-time All-Star Trae Young continues to sit on the sidelines to heal the sprained MCL in his right knee. He has not played since Oct. 29, which means he has missed 17 games – and the Hawks have gone 11-6 over that stretch.
The Clippers are coming off a 140-123 loss at Miami, the first stop on a five-game road trip. Los Angeles has lost five in a row and 14 of its last 16. Its 5-16 start is the worst for the franchise since it began 4-17 to open the 2010-11 season.
“We’ve tried a lot of different things,” said coach Tyronn Lue. “We’ll keep trying. There’s no next step right now. … Got to keep working.”
The Clippers’ lineup is loaded with aging stars like Kawhi Leonard (34), James Harden (36) and Chris Paul (40). Bradley Beal (32) fractured his hip and will miss the rest of the season. Harden and Leonard are rumored to be available at the trade deadline and Paul has said that this is his final season.
Leonard scored 36 points in the blowout loss to Miami, including 19 in the fourth quarter. He’s averaging 26.4 points this season, second behind Harden (26.9), who also leads the team with 8.4 assists. Against Atlanta, Harden has averaged 25.3 points in 27 games and Leonard has averaged 21.4 points in 18 games. They both scored 25 in Atlanta last season when the Clippers won 121-98.
Beal’s injury has forced the team to move former Hawks forward John Collins into the starting lineup. Collins is averaging 11.9 points and 4.9 rebounds.
The Clippers on Monday were without Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has missed six straight games with a left hip contusion. Jordan Miller exited after playing six minutes on Monday because of lower back tightness.
This will be the last of two meetings this season as the Hawks won 105-102 on Nov. 10 in Los Angeles. The Clippers have won three straight games in Atlanta.
