(AP) – Jalen Johnson scored 23 points, and the Atlanta Hawks held off the winless Brooklyn Nets 117-112 on Wednesday night after losing star guard Trae Young to a sprained right knee in the first quarter.
Young was hurt when teammate Mouhamed Gueye fell and collided with his knee. The four-time All-Star grabbed the knee in pain after the collision and was soon ruled out for the rest of the game. He had six points in seven minutes.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 18 points, Luke Kennard added 17 and Onyeka Okongwu had 12 points and a season-high 14 rebounds for the Hawks.
Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 32 points for the Nets, who fell to 0-5 for the first time since the 2015-16 season, when they lost their first seven games. Cam Thomas scored 19 points on 6-of-20 shooting, and Nic Claxton had 18 points and 12 rebounds.
The Hawks spotted the Nets a 12-0 lead but pulled ahead 20-19 with 5:17 left in the first quarter and never trailed again, although Brooklyn made it close at the end. Two free throws by Porter got the Nets within 115-112 with 1:28 left, and Brooklyn had a chance to draw closer but missed its final five shots.
Kennard, who leads active NBA players in career 3-point shooting percentage, went 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.
Up next
Hawks: At Indiana on Friday night.
Nets: Host Philadelphia on Sunday night.
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