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Brad Rowland: Hawks injury report for Saturday at Pacers: Jalen Johnson (left calf tightness) is questionable. Zaccharie Risacher (left knee, bone contusion) is questionable. Onyeka Okongwu (dental fracture) is out. Kristaps Porzingis (left Achilles tendinitis) is out.
Onyeka Okongwu suffered a dental fracture when he was elbowed in the mouth in Atlanta's last game, and will be out at least for the Hawks' matchup with the Houston Rockets on Thursday night. Okongwu was elbowed by Boston guard Jaylen Brown as Brown possessed the ball in the fourth quarter of the Hawks' win on Wednesday night.
After the game, Brown said the contact was unintentional. "Just a basketball play, it's unfortunate," Brown said. "Okongwu's a good player, and I know from my own experience with a fractured face and chipped teeth. ... It wasn't intentional, and I know it's going to be a long day at the dentist for him, so hopefully he has a good recovery."
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 21 points, Jalen Johnson had 19 points and 14 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Boston Celtics 117-106 on Wednesday night to avenge a lopsided home loss. Onyeka Okongwu added 17 points, Dyson Daniels had 15 and Corey Kispert 13 to help the Hawks win their fourth straight.
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Despite interest from the Indiana Pacers and other teams who’ve checked in on Onyeka Okongwu, the Hawks have been resistant to moving their 25-year-old center, league sources told HoopsHype. Meanwhile, Atlanta has been open to adding frontcourt depth if the right fit presents itself.
Brice Lewis: Hawks beat the Suns tonight 110-103 and sweep the season series. The Hawks won the 4th quarter 26-12 and were able to overcome 21 turnovers. Onyeka Okongwu led all scorers with 25 points and Jalen Johnson had a near triple double and almost a 20-20 game. Hawks getting some much needed wins right now.
Brad Rowland: Onyeka Okongwu just tied the Hawks franchise record for 3's in a season for a center. It's January 23rd.
Johnson, 24, respected Young’s tenure with the Hawks and said he learned about humility and impacting locals from him. “He’s been there for eight years,” Johnson said about Young. “And all the stuff he’s done for the city and just being a Hawk, there was just a lot of emotions at that time. And I think it was only me, and O [Onyeka Okongwu] that have been around since he’s been here. His speech was good, but like he said, ‘It’s a business at the end of the day.’ And as long as he’s happy, we’re happy.’ ”
I was told this week, for example, that Indiana has called Atlanta on Onyeka Okongwu in addition to its previously reported interest in players such as Dallas' Daniel Gafford and the (perceived as much harder-to-get) Ivica Zubac of the LA Clippers. Another name on Indiana's list, sources say, is Pelicans center Yves Missi.
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The Hawks, taking advantage of 19 Denver turnovers on the night, used a fourth-quarter surge to run away with an 110-87 victory. It was Atlanta’s first win in Denver since 2019. An eight-point surge, sparked by 3-pointers by Tim Hardaway Jr. and Hunter Tyson, gave the Nuggets a 75-71 lead late in the third quarter, and the fans were blowing the lid off Ball Arena. But Onyeka Okongwu canned a 27-foot, 3-point, momentum-changing jumpshot to cut Denver’s lead to 75-74. That was the beginning of the end. Atlanta outscored the Nuggets 36-12 in the final 12 minutes. Plus, the Nuggets’ scrappiness from earlier in the game evaporated, in part because they are a tired team after a long, seven-game road trip. “I saw a really, really tired group,” coach David Adelman said. “That’s going to happen in the NBA, (coming back) from a seven-game road trip. They gave it everything they had in the third quarter to get back into it. But it does happen in the NBA. We know that. No excuses, ‘Blah, blah, blah,’ but it does happen.”
The Hawks, according to conversations with rival executives, agents and former players, are unsure of the long-term prospects of Onyeka Okongwu and Mo Gueye at center from a contention standpoint. Atlanta is an average defensive team (16th in defensive rating, per Cleaning the Glass), but a core featuring Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Johnson and Davis has enough versatility and optionality to rewrite a narrative that would have been otherwise impossible with Young as the centerpiece.
Brad Rowland: Okongwu is questionable for Atlanta, with Young ruled out. Trey Murphy and Herb Jones are questionable for New Orleans. Alvarado, Bey, and Murray are out.
Kevin Chouinard: Final: Hawks 126, Timberwolves 102 Jalen Johnson: 34 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast Onyeka Okongwu: 17 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast Kristaps Porzingis: 16 pts in 17 min
