The Atlanta Hawks came into this game, losers of their last two group-stage games and officially eliminated after a loss to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday evening. Tonight, however, they came back home with a chance to end another team’s chances in the Cleveland Cavaliers and did just that in a thriller.
Back-to-back Black Friday Wins at home vs. the Cavs 😎😎 pic.twitter.com/fIYWOaaGoX
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 29, 20251. Offense looked much better and forced the fast break
Hawks offense is getting helped greatly by some stops and transition plays.
16 of 27 points on fast breaks.
— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) November 29, 2025
JJ must have been watching the game across the street 🏈 pic.twitter.com/4KYOCsa910
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 29, 2025
Tonight, Atlanta looked much better offensively; in the first half, they went above their average in fast-break points, scoring 20 and going on a 21-6 run at the midway point of the first quarter. The Hawks would close out the night with 36 fast-break points, 25 points off turnovers, and 36 assists, showing that this victory was based on teamwork rather than individual play. The Hawks shot the ball efficiently tonight, finishing with 53% from the field and 37% from the three-point line while scoring 64 points in the paint.
2. Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Nickeil Alexander-Walker 🇨🇦 tonight:
28 PTS
3 REB
1 AST
1 STL
1 BLK
9-21 FGM
5-13 3PT
5-5 FTM
+18 +/-
35 Minutes played pic.twitter.com/NMTDDcUU1U
— NBA Overseas 🌍🏀 (@NBAOverseas) November 29, 2025
Yessir Nickeil 🔒 pic.twitter.com/iwrnxupcGe
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 29, 2025
One of the consistent X-factors for the Hawks this season has been none other than Alexander-Walker, as he has come in and made an immediate impact on this team’s success on both ends of the court. Tonight, he finished with some big moments on both ends of the court and made clutch baskets throughout the fourth quarter, as well as being the team leader in scoring heading into halftime with 15 points. This was also a bounce-back performance for him after a poor game against the Wizards, as he came out with more consistency and energy.
3. Jalen Johnson bounce back performance
Jalen Johnson tonight:
29 points
12 rebounds
12 assists
50% FG
All-Star? 👀
(Via @realapp ) pic.twitter.com/lFTpnLsExg
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 29, 2025
Johnson had another historic performance tonight, as he not only finished with a triple-double, but he also continued his streak of at least seven plus assists, which is the longest by a forward since Lebron James earlier this year. Johnson had one of his worst games against the Wizards, a game the Hawks were widely favored to win, but this was a statement bounce-back performance to be expected against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
4. A wild fourth quarter
ZACCH & NICKEIL CLUTCH THREES pic.twitter.com/S9d3XquYLr
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 29, 2025
Throughout this game, the Hawks and Cavaliers traded runs and couldn’t quite pull away, even though it looked like they would at specific points for both teams. To end the game, however, both teams traded buckets, and it came down to Zaccharie Risacher and Alexander-Walker stepping up significantly in the final minutes, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to seal the victory and knock Cleveland out of Cup contention.
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