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Rockets defeat Hawks 121-114 behind 22 points from Kevin Durant, 19 points off the bench from Reed Sheppard. Jalen Johnson had 26 points, nine rebounds and 16 assists in defeat for Atlanta.
Lauren L. Williams: Lu Dort (right knee contusion), Keshon Gilbert (left patella tendinitis), Jalen Johnson (rest) are out. CJ McCollum looks to be back in the rotation.
JJ: At Hawks Media Day, I asked Jalen Johnson if he had time to reflect on the playoffs: “The 1st month & half, 2 months after the season…all it was, was film from that Knicks series. Just how I can learn & grow from that. ‘Cause at the end of the day, I want to win championships”
Kingston Flemings wore No. 1 at William J. Brennan High School and No. 4 last season at Houston, both of which were worn by Rose throughout his 15-year career. With No. 1 occupied by Jalen Johnson, Flemings picked No. 4 with the Hawks. "I always liked being No. 1 because of D-Rose," Flemings said last month of Derrick Rose, via the NBA on X. "But D-Rose also wore No. 4."
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Sources also say the Hawks are likely to re-sign C.J. McCollum, allowing them to bring a young guard along slowly while also giving him opportunities to run the second unit. Flemings’ ability to pressure the rim with his speed would fit wonderfully with Jalen Johnson, Jonathan Kuminga and other high-level athletes on the Hawks’ roster. Atlanta could use a downhill, athletic guard next to McCollum, Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Much like many of the guards, Flemings is seen as unlikely to fall outside the top 10.
The Hawks certainly could stand to benefit from selecting a guard. While league sources maintain that Atlanta remains hopeful about its chances of re-signing veteran CJ McCollum in free agency after his standout postseason, sources say that the Hawks are interested in coming away with another downhill ballhandler to complement Jalen Johnson over a longer term.
NBA Communications: The 2025-26 Kia All-NBA Third Team: Jalen Duren, @DetroitPistons Chet Holmgren, @okcthunder Jalen Johnson, @ATLHawks Tyrese Maxey, @sixers Jamal Murray, @nuggets
This question yielded a wide variety of answers, with 89 players receiving at least one vote. That is not unusual. In our poll last season, 75 players received at least one vote. The breadth of answers can be explained by the league’s depth of talent, but it can also, perhaps, be explained by some respondents voting for their teammates. For the sake of this discussion, we’re going to focus on the top six vote-getters (3.3 percent and up). Something that is crystal clear: Players believe the Boston Celtics’ Derrick White still has not received his due respect. He is among the leaders here year in and year out. In 2024, he tied for the win with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Jalen Williams. Last year, he finished second, trailing only the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham. And now, he’s won again, tying with the Atlanta Hawks’ Jalen Johnson.
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Brad Rowland: Nickeil Alexander-Walker received 66 out of 100 first place votes for MIP. Jalen Johnson finished 6th. Full voting results here:
Nickeil Alexander-Walker received 66 out of 100 first place votes for MIP. Jalen Johnson finished 6th. Full voting results here:
— Brad Rowland (@btrowland.bsky.social) 2026-04-24T22:58:19.105Z
Mike Conti: NBA report: there was one officiating error in the final two minutes of last night’s Hawks-Knicks game. It benefited the Knicks. Josh Hart should have been called for fouling Jalen Johnson on a drive with 1:58 remaining. Johnson made the layup, but should have gotten an and-one.
ClutchPoints: The Hawks outlast the Knicks in a heart-stopping NAILBITER to grab a 2–1 series lead 🔥 Jalen Johnson: 24 points on 8-of-19 FG 10 rebounds 8 assists CJ McCollum: 23 points on 8-of-19 FG 5 rebounds 2-of-4 3PT
The Hawks have bested the Knicks in that aspect thus far. Atlanta isn’t a pick-and-roll heavy squad, but it’s leaning into those actions more because of who’s on the other side. Sixty-five percent of the pick-and-rolls it has run over the first two games of the series have brought at least one of Brunson or Towns, the two weakest defenders in New York’s starting lineup, into the action, according to Second Spectrum. The Knicks have not done the same. Only 35 percent of their pick-and-rolls have involved at least one of the two weakest defenders in the Hawks’ starting lineup, McCollum or All-Star and soon-to-be All-NBA forward Jalen Johnson.
