Nickeil Alexander-Walker reveals how Hawks improved their effort vs. Knicks despite loss appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
ATLANTA, GA – It was the sixth straight loss, but this one felt different than the others.
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Yes, the Atlanta Hawks found themselves down double digits in the first half and had to fight back in the end. They were once again outrebounded, more specifically on the offensive glass. They had lapses on offense and defense throughout the game, but it wasn’t until the second half and late in the fourth quarter that things changed. The Hawks put together a valiant effort down the stretch and even took the lead, but in the end, the Knicks made just one more play that helped them win, 128-125.
It could’ve been a game where the Hawks held their heads after losing their sixth in a row, but the vibes were different after this one, and it was revealed that the team did something after their loss against the Miami Heat.
“We had a real sit-down with the whole group and said, ‘We need to be better,’” Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. “I think you can feel it in the presence of the game, like during the stretch where we weren’t making shots and they were, and they kind of had that little stretch where they pulled it out. We were able to kind of stop the bleeding. We fought to get back. We played through mistakes because that’s what the game is going to come to.
“Through the ups and downs, we were able to ride it out, able to take the lead twice, and it’s just unfortunate.”
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It’s typical for a team to have a meeting with the players after things aren’t going right for a period of time. For the Hawks, it seemed like something like this would happen at some point if they continued their slid, and even though it didn’t result in a win, they saw positive signs.
“We told each other what needed to be said yesterday,” Jalen Johnson said “A lot of guys spoke, so I think that was a good sign. And I think it reflected today.”
“I think it’s the productivity of what we did. I look at tonight and I say, ‘You know what? I can accept losing this way.’ You don’t want to lose, but there’s things that you will accept and not accept,” Alexander-Walker said. “You can’t win every game, and I’m not looking for moral victories, but it’s the input.”
Hawks can’t complete late comeback against Knicks
The Hawks were once down 18 points in the game, and it looked like they were heading toward a possible blowout. The opposite happened, and they ended up fighting back and cutting their deficit in the second half. Late in the fourth, Onyeka Okongwu came alive and hit two big three-pointers, one that helped them get the lead.
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The Knicks took the lead back for a moment, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker got a steal on Jalen Brunson and turned it into points on the other end.
“I take pride in my defense, it’s what’s gotten me here today,” Alexander-Walker said. “So being in that position where someone’s going at me and they feel like that’s the matchup that they want, I took that personally. I think I can play defense, and I tried my best to get a stop.”
With a one-point lead with less than a minute remaining, all the Hawks needed was a stop. They completed the first step, but the next was grabbing the rebound, which they failed to do for most of the night. The Knicks went to the free-throw line and took the lead back. The Hawks had another chance, but a crucial turnover basically sealed their fate after the Knicks went to the free-throw line again and extended their lead to three. Alexander-Walker had a good look at a three to tie the game, but it rimmed out.
“If we continue to have the same mentality as we did tonight, then I think more times than not, we’ll find a way to win,” Alexander-Walker said. “And we’re growing. Late game situations, we’re playing in a lot of clutch games, and that’s going to help us. We’re going to build confidence in that.”
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