Rookie Zaccharie Risacher scored 23 of his career-high 38 points in the first half as the Atlanta Hawks started fast, never let up and cruised to a 133-109 rout of the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night in New York.
The Hawks (38-42) won for just the third time in their past nine games and are two games behind the Orlando Magic for the first play-in spot in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta also leads the ninth-place Chicago Bulls by one game and holds a two-game lead over the Miami Heat.
Two days after turning 20, Risacher made 15 of 20 shots and posted his fourth career 30-point game, the most amongst rookies. The top overall pick also made six 3-pointers to go along with three dunks in 35 minutes and surpassed his previous career best of 36 points, set March 30 at Milwaukee.
Trae Young added 24 points and 12 assists for his league-leading 50th points-assists double-double as the Hawks shot 57.1 percent and led by double digits for the final 43:10 less than a month after taking a 122-114 loss at Brooklyn.
Onyeka Okongwu posted 14 points and 15 rebounds as the Hawks scored 66 points in the paint. Terance Mann added 14 points, Georges Niang contributed 11 and Dyson Daniels finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as Atlanta handed out 36 assists.
Jalen Wilson tied his season high with 20 points as the Nets (26-54) got 75 points from the bench. Rookie Tosan Evbuomwan contributed 18 and rookie Tyson Etienne finished with 16 as Brooklyn hit 22 3-pointers but shot 40 percent overall.
The Nets held out Cameron Johnson (back) and D’Angelo Russell (ankle) and never recovered from their slow start en route to their sixth loss in seven home games.
Behind 13 points from Risacher, the Hawks took control in the opening minutes and held the Nets to 5 of 26 from the floor en route to a 33-14 lead after the first quarter. Risacher surpassed 20 points on a dunk early in the second and Young made a pair of crafty moves to the rim for layups in the final minute as the Hawks took a 69-45 lead into halftime.
Risacher hit two 3s and threw down a dunk in the opening minutes of the third to surpass 30 points and give the Hawks an 82-53 lead. He had 35 points through three as Atlanta took a 103-74 lead into the fourth quarter. He surpassed his previous career high by sinking his sixth 3 in the opening minutes of the fourth.
–Field Level Media
