{"id":166976,"date":"2025-11-17T10:00:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T15:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=166976"},"modified":"2025-11-17T05:07:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T10:07:42","slug":"hawks-complete-comeback-against-suns-for-5th-straight-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/17\/hawks-complete-comeback-against-suns-for-5th-straight-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawks Complete Comeback Against Suns for 5th Straight Win"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Phoenix Suns 124-122 on Sunday, Nov. 16. They finalized a 22-point fourth-quarter comeback to sweep their West Coast road trip for a fifth consecutive victory. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/01\/can-hawks-stay-afloat-in-the-east-without-trae-young\/\" target=\"_self\">Instead of the Hawks surviving<\/a> without All-Star guard <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/y\/youngtr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trae Young<\/a>, they continue to thrive. Atlanta moved its record to 7-2 without Young and 9-5 on the season, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Here are the key story lines to take away from the Hawks&#8217; impressive comeback win.<\/p>\n<h2>Hawks Complete Comeback Against Suns for 5th Straight Win<\/h2>\n<h3>Nickeil Alexander-Walker Leads His Team in the Fourth<\/h3>\n<p>Atlanta led by 13 points in the second quarter, but the Suns responded immediately. They took a one-point halftime lead after a 21-7 run. Phoenix then outscored the Hawks 37-20 in the third frame to take an 18-point lead heading into the fourth.<\/p>\n<p>When Phoenix held its largest lead at 22, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/alexani01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nickeil Alexander-Walker<\/a> went to work. He scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, including seven during Atlanta&#8217;s 20-0 run over four minutes. The Hawks&#8217; guard finished with a season-high 26 points with four assists and two steals.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Nickeil Alexander-Walker vs Phoenix Suns | 26 PTS 3 REB 4 AST 2 STL | NBA 11-16-2025 Highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uKX9QwD7Ono?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Alexander-Walker did most of his damage in the paint, constantly attacking the Suns downhill in the final frame. <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/game\/atl-vs-phx-0022500239?watchRecap=true\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">After the game<\/a>, he mentioned he wanted to be more assertive after a slow start.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I just had to be aggressive. One thing I didn&#8217;t do well in the first quarter, and I could feel it a little in the third, I was a little passive &#8230; They were playing good defense, but we didn&#8217;t put pressure on the rim. Once we started putting pressure on the rim, we started to see the results,&#8221; Alexander-Walker said after the game.<\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnsja05.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Johnson<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/o\/okongon01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Onyeka Okongwu<\/a> also delivered <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/11\/14\/inside-the-atlanta-hawks-4-game-win-streak\/\" target=\"_self\">two more dominant performances<\/a>. Okongwu had 27 points on 9-15 shooting, two blocks, and two steals, while Johnson put up 25 points (9-13 FG), 10 boards, and seven dimes.<\/p>\n<h3>Zaccharie Risacher Ruled Out In Fourth<\/h3>\n<p>The Hawks forced Phoenix into five fourth-quarter turnovers, igniting some easy fastbreak buckets. <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/risacza01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zaccharie Risacher<\/a> picked <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gilleco01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Collin Gillespie&#8217;s<\/a> pocket and took the ball all the way for a thunderous fastbreak dunk. However, he fell off the rim awkwardly as he tried to hang on, flipping over and hitting the hardwood directly on his left side.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Zaccharie Risacher with one of the scariest falls you&#39;ll see in an NBA game<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, he apparently walked off on his own<a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lHtneJ9j9b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/lHtneJ9j9b<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Hot Hand Theory (@HotHandTheory) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HotHandTheory\/status\/1990257234983682458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He walked off the floor on his own power, but Atlanta ruled out Risacher for the remainder of the game due to a left hip contusion. Hopefully, the 2024 first overall pick can avoid a long-term absence.<\/p>\n<p>The Hawks&#8217; next contest is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 18, against the Detroit Pistons. If Risacher does not play, head coach Quin Snyder could start <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/krejcvi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">V\u00edt Krej\u010d\u00ed<\/a>, who is shooting lights out, at small forward. The Hawks could also go with a big lineup, moving Johnson to the three and Okongwu to the four next to <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/porzikr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is<\/a>. Porzi\u0146\u0123is missed the game in Phoenix due to knee soreness.<\/p>\n<h3>Hawks&#8217; Comeback Makes History<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_166998\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-166998\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-166998\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610262_168420457_lowres-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) and drives as Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) defends during the second half of play during a game at Mortgage Matchup Center.\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610262_168420457_lowres-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610262_168420457_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610262_168420457_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610262_168420457_lowres-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610262_168420457_lowres-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610262_168420457_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/11\/USATSI_27610262_168420457_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-166998\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nov 16, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) and drives as Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) defends during the second half of play during a game at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Atlanta joined the Eastern Conference in 1970. It never swept a West Coast trip of four games or more until this season. Alexander-Walker commented on why this Hawks squad was the first to do it.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our mentality &#8230; We push each other. JJ [Jalen Johnson] gets on us all the time. I get on the guys all the time. Everybody accepts the accountability that we give, and when you do that, you get results like this,&#8221; said the Hawks&#8217; guard confidently.<\/p>\n<p>Atlanta also reached <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BTRowland\/status\/1990265520348922164\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">four games above a .500 record<\/a> for the first time since November of 2022, when they were 10-6. The Hawks also own a 7-2 road record. They look to carry their momentum from the road to State Farm Arena against the Pistons on Nov. 18.<\/p>\n<p>Featured Image: Allan Henry-Imagn images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Phoenix Suns 124-122 on Sunday, Nov. 16. They finalized a 22-point fourth-quarter comeback to sweep their West Coast road trip for a fifth consecutive victory. Instead of the Hawks surviving without All-Star guard Trae Young, they continue to thrive. Atlanta moved its record to 7-2 without Young and 9-5 on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5516,"featured_media":166997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,4,62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-hawks","category-nba"],"modified_by":"Benjamin Yu","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5516"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166976"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":166999,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166976\/revisions\/166999"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}