Zaccharie Risacher and the Atlanta Hawks were on the road to face the Boston Celtics in their first Emirates NBA Cup game of the season. When the two teams previously faced off, the rookie Risacher put up 15 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Now in a more competitive setup in the NBA Cup, it was interesting to see how the Hawks rookie would perform against the defending champions.
In the first quarter, Zaccharie Risacher provided solid numbers for Atlanta. He added four points and five rebounds. However, what wasn't impressive was his accuracy. Risacher missed several shot attempts, only making two out of seven shots.
Risacher continued to struggle in the second quarter as he missed all of his shot attempts. He played approximately six minutes in the period and struggled to find his rhythm. Keeping the game within reach for the Hawks were Jalen Johnson and Clint Capela. Atlanta ended the first half with an 11-point deficit.
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Come the third quarter, Zaccharie Risacher added four more points to his four first-half points. However, at that point, it was clear that the rookie wasn’t feeling it on Monday. Risacher continued to struggle with his shot. But that didn’t mean he was useless for the Atlanta Hawks on the floor. The rookie continued to hustle for the ball and consistently secured rebounds for his team.
Ultimately, the Atlanta Hawks upset the defending champions in a nail-biting 117-116 victory. Despite not having Trae Young in the lineup, Jalen Johnson’s triple-double performance and Dyson Daniel’s 28-point outing helped the Hawks come out on top. As for the rookie Risacher, although he struggled to hit his shots, his efforts on defense proved to be an important contribution to their victory.
Hawks vs Celtics recap: Zaccharie Risacher and the Hawks fend off the defending champions
It was a wild Monday night at TD Garden. The Atlanta Hawks pulled off an upset victory over the defending champions, the Boston Celtics. Surprisingly, the game wasn’t as one-sided as everyone expected it to be.
Given how the Celtics are the reigning NBA champions, no one is expecting the 11th-placed Hawks, without Trae Young in their lineup, to beat them. Nevertheless, the Hawks players came through and notched their first win in the Emirates NBA Cup.
Dyson Daniels showed up big time for his team. He added 28 points, seven assists and six steals. His versatility on offense and defense undoubtedly helped Atlanta keep the game within reach.
Jalen Johnson also came up huge for the Hawks with a triple-double outing. Johnson added 18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. As for the remaining Atlanta players, three of them were also in double figures. Larry Nance Jr. scored 19 points, Clint Capela added 18 points, then Onyeka Okongwu scored 15 points.
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