Atlanta, GA
Instant Takeaways From A Historic Atlanta Hawks Win Over The Sacramento Kings
The Atlanta Hawks pulled this win off because they have the two best players in the game and the Kings don’t have anything close.
While that may sound fairly obvious, it was noticeable because there’s an argument to be made that the Hawks let their foot off the pedal for long stretches of the game and played down to their competition. The Kings made it a game despite the injuries by leaning into the drive-and-kick game, making their open threes and doing their best to keep up with the Hawks in transition. However, Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were too good.
With the game tied at 97-97, Atlanta went on a 20-6 run to take definitive control of the game behind superstar performances from their two best players. Johnson had 26 points, 10 assists and five rebounds while burying several momentum threes when the Hawks needed him most. However, NAW was more consistent from start to finish. He scored 27 points on just 14 shots, hitting 4/9 from deep and going a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe.
Sacramento gave it their all despite the injuries and got a vintage performance from DeMar DeRozan with 22 points on 9-18 shooting and even two threes. Daeqwon Plowden, Killian Hayes and Maxime Raynaud all had good games as well in order to give the Kings some life. Ultimately, though, the NBA is defined by star power and the Hawks had more of it tonight.
Sluggish To Start
The Hawks were missing a few names tonight, but there’s no real excuse for the way that they played tonight to start. They let the Kings control the first quarter and then had to claw their way back with four minutes left in the second quarter. Precious Achiuwa started the game out strong, scoring 12 points in the first half, and Maxime Raynaud had some nice moments on offense. However, it was a pretty poor effort on defense for the Hawks and they needed to turn things around in order to get back into the game.
Even so, ending the first half by shooting 33% from deep and only holding a 30-28 advantage in point paints was uninspiring from Atlanta. Onyeka Okongwu’s absence definitely lingered, but it wasn’t a terrible start from Jock Landale. Landale chipped in 12 points and six rebounds, posting a team-high +23 alongside Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. He finished the game with a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds, coming alive in the fourth quarter and burying a huge momentum three-pointer. However, the Christian Koloko minutes went terribly for Atlanta. He was a -11 in just six minutes. With Okongwu gone, their struggles on the defensive glass have been evident and it’s going to be a flaw they have to work around for the rest of the season.
Zacch Attack Back
Zaccharie Risacher is still one of the best shooters on the Hawks when he’s feeling it and tonight was a great example of that. He scored 10 points in 11 first-half minutes while nailing two threes. It provided a nice counterpoint to Johnson and NAW. His off-ball movement also played a role in the Hawks getting 20 assists in the first half. Atlanta’s done a great job of not letting the ball get stuck in most of their games this season, but that wasn’t necessarily true against the Celtics. They rectified those mistakes early.
He was a lot more quiet in the second half, but the Hawks really needed him in the first half to keep them in the game and he stepped up despite the lack of heavy minutes.
No Daniels, Hawks Scramble
Although it’s very possible to argue that Nickeil Alexander-Walker is also a contender for this title, Dyson Daniels has quietly been the second-most important player for the Hawks this season. There is no one on the team who brings his combination of passing, rebounding and defense. Even though the Hawks got 10 steals to the Kings’ five and passed the ball well tonight on the whole, their defensive communication was off for a lot of the night. The Kings got great minutes out of Killian Hayes and the overall operation looked very sloppy tonight because they didn’t have Daniels helping to organize things. His presence also makes a big difference for Jalen Johnson. Johnson quietly had to fight for a lot of his points tonight and got visibly frustrated at multiple points in the game.
Leaving Daequon Plowden wide open to tie the game with eight minutes in the fourth quarter is an excellent example of the little things that Daniels adds to the Hawks. His game runs completely contrary to the idea that a player must be a passable shooter from deep in order to add value on the court.
Mastering the Margins
The Hawks got the performances they needed from their stars, but they also did a good job of taking care of the details by the end of the game. It wasn’t a complete effort all the way, but it was encouraging to see the Hawks win the possession battle. They only had 12 turnovers to Sacramento’s 15 and ended up tying the Kings with 27 defensive rebounds apiece after a shaky start on the glass.
On defense, they stole the ball ten times and ran the floor well in transition. The lack of a paint advantage was noticeable – the Kings out-scored them in the paint by a 56-44 margin. However, it ended up not making much of a difference because they took care of everything else.
It’s a good win for the Hawks, but a much stiffer test comes up on Monday in the re-match against the Celtics. This is an important game for the Hawks due to the 76ers beating Charlotte and keeping possession of the seventh seed. They’ll have plenty of competition for the No. 6 seed down the stretch and the Eastern Conference matchups are going to loom large in April.
Gwinnett County officials are warning residents to use caution after a raccoon tested positive for rabies over the weekend.
Officials say the raccoon attacked a dog near Biltmore Oaks Drive in the Bethlehem area on May 26.
Testing revealed that the animal was infected with the potentially deadly virus.
The disease, which can be transmitted through bites and scratches from infected animals, is almost always fatal in humans once symptoms occur. Those symptoms include muscle aches, fever, vomiting, and general weakness and discomfort.
The National Association of State Health Veterinarians says all unvaccinated dogs and cats exposed to a rabid animal need to be quarantined for four months and vaccinated one month before being released.
Georgia is a rabies-endemic state, which means the virus can be found in wildlife year-round. Officials say that means it’s important for residents to make sure their pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations and avoid animals that may be behaving in unusual ways. Earlier in May, a DeKalb County raccoon tested positive for rabies.
If you have been bitten or scratched by any stray animals or an animal suspected to have rabies, seek medial care immediately and let your provider know about the possible exposure. After that, contact GNR Public Health at (770) 339-4260 and ask for the on-call epidemiologist.
To report an animal behaving in an unusual way, call the Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement Bite Office at (770) 339-3200, ext. 5576.
THE FLATS – No. 2 Georgia Tech baseball (50-10) dropped its first game of the NCAA Atlanta Regional on Sunday night, falling 15-8 to Oklahoma. The Yellow Jackets saw four home runs in the outing and jumped out with the early lead, but the Sooners overcame the deficit to force game seven on Monday.
Georgia Tech plated its first two batters of the game as Carson Kerce drew a 4-0 leadoff walk and Drew Burress sent his at bat 397 feet deep to left field, putting Tech up 2-0 in the first and forcing Oklahoma to make a call to the bullpen early.
The Sooners tied the game at 2-2 off a two-run home run from Brendan Brock in the bottom of the second, but a five-spot from the Jackets in the fifth returned the lead to Tech. A bases loaded wild pitch scored Kerce and setup a two-run RBI single up the middle from Ryan Zuckerman for a 5-2 lead. Alex Hernandez found his fourth home run of the regional in the next at bat, clearing the bases and putting Tech in front, 8-2.
Jarren Advincula cushioned Tech’s lead with a sac fly in the fourth, scoring Kerce for a 9-2 lead, but Oklahoma erased its deficit and took the lead with an eight-run fourth inning for a 10-8 edge. The Sooners would add another five runs for the final score.
Georgia Tech and Oklahoma will meet in the rubbermatch on Monday for a spot in the NCAA Super Regional. First pitch is set for 3 pm and television designation will be announced soon.
QUICK HITS: TEAM
- GT will face Oklahoma again, tomorrow at 3 pm in a winner-take-all game seven of the Atlanta Regional.
- This is the 5th time in program history the Jackets will be playing in a 2-1 vs 2-1 game after starting the regional 2-0, GT is 2-2 in such games (wins in 1994 and 2005 / losses in 2008 and 2010).
- The Jackets fall to 50-10, the best 60-game record in program history, two games better than the previous record (48-12 – 1987).
- The Jackets will be looking to advance to the Super Regional round for the sixth time in program history and the first since 2006.
- GT is now 3-2 against the SEC this season with wins over Auburn, Georgia and Oklahoma.
- The Jackets are outscoring SEC opponents 46-35 this season.
- Tech has scored 655 runs this season, the most runs scored through 60 games in program history and the most scored by any Power 4 team through 60 games in the BBCOR era.
- GT’s 655 runs are the second-most in school history, seven behind the program record set back in 1987 (662). The Jackets are two runs away from setting a new NCAA record for runs in a single season in the BBCOR era – a record currently held by Tennessee (657 runs in 73 games in 2024).
- The Jackets hit two home runs today, bringing the regional total to 12 and the season total of 137 – 15 more than the previous program record set back in 2010.
- Tech has hit multiple home runs in all three regional games this season and 15 of their last 16 games dating back to April 28.
- GT is outscoring its opponents 655-297 this season. The plus-358 margin is the largest in Division I this season and the largest in program history.
- Tech’s offense is currently on pace to set program records in batting average (.357 – record is .347), on-base percentage (.468 – record is .434), slugging percentage (.640 – record is .575) and runs-per-game (10.9 – record is 10.3).
- The offense has scored eight or more runs in each of the last 14 games dating back to May 3.
- The Yellow Jackets are closing in on multiple NCAA records for a single season: two runs away from the BBCOR era record (Tennessee – 657 – 73 games in 2024), 19 hits away from the BBCOR era record (Vanderbilt – 770 – 71 games in 2019) and 18 doubles away from the BBCOR era record (Morehead St. / Virginia – 172 – 2015 / 2023) and 30 walks away from the BBCOR era record (Wake Forest – 424 – 66 games in 2023).
- Tech’s .357 average would be a new BBCOR era Power 4 record (NCAA record is .359 by Austin Peay in 2024).
- Tech’s .468 OBP would be a new BBCOR era Power 4 record (NCAA record is .469 by New Mexico State in 2019).
- Tech’s .640 slugging percentage would be a new BBCOR era Power 4 record (NCAA record is .661 by Austin Peay in 2024).
- GT pitching struck out 10 batters, marking the 26th game with at least 10 Ks this season.
QUICK HITS: THE BATS
- Junior Drew Burress extended his on-base streak to 23 games with a 3-for-5 showing. He hit a two-run home run to open the scoring in the first inning, his program record 59th career homer.
- Burress becomes the first Power conference player of the 21st century to deliver 40 extra base hits in three consecutive seasons (43 in 2024, 43 in 2025 and 40 in 2026). He is just the second Division I player to do so this century, also DJ Peterson (New Mexico) 2011-13.
- Buress has hit 15 home runs this season, becoming just the second Yellow Jacket in program history to deliver three consecutive 15 HR seasons, along with Tony Plagman (2008-10).
- He has now scored 231 runs in his career, the most of any active DI player and just one away from tying Darren Bragg (1988-91) for the fourth most in program history.
- Burress holds the GT BBCOR era records for the most runs (231), RBI (187), doubles (61), home runs (59) and total bases (499). He is one base away from becoming just the fourth Jacket to ever collect 500 total bases – also Andy Bruce (506: 1988-91), Tony Plagman (513: 2007-10) and Jason Varitek (610: 1991-94).
- His 187 RBI rank 12th all-time at Georgia Tech, seven shy of cracking the Top 10.
- Sophomore Alex Hernandez continued his exceptional regional, hitting a two-run home run as a part of Tech’s five-run third inning.
- It was his fourth HR of the regional and 13th of the season. Nearly two-thirds of his home runs this season (30.8 %) have come in the last three games of regional play.
- Hernandez has recorded 19 RBI in his last six games, producing at least one in all six postseason games to this point.
- He has now produced 21 RBI in six career NCAA tournament games – 3.5 per game.
- He is up to 57 RBI this season and 126 over his career: the fourth highest RBI total by an undergraduate in GT history behind only Burress (129), Matt Weiters (139) and Mark Teixeira (program record – 145).
- Junior Carson Kerce scored three runs in the leadoff spot, tying his season high for the fifth time. He has scored multiple runs in 18 games this season, the fifth most on the team.
- Junior Ryan Zuckerman delivered a pair of RBI today, taking over the team lead with 79 RBI this season, the 11th most in program history.
- Zuckerman (79) and Vahn Lackey (78) are inching closer to becoming just the third duo in GT history to drive in 80 RBI in the same season, currently only accomplished by Jason Basil (83) and Mark Teixeira (80) in 2000 and Riccardo Ingram (99) and Mike Fowler (87) in 1987.
- Lackey scored his team leading 85th run of the season tonight, his 85 runs scored are the 6th most in program history for a single season and the most recorded since Mark Teixeira set the program record (104) back in 2000.
- Junior Jarren Advincula extended his hitting streak to a career best 28 games, tied with Carlton Fleming (1990) for the 2nd longest in program history and the longest since Victor Menocal set the record (30) in 2002.
- He has delivered 108 hits this season, the fourth most in program history and the most since 2000 (Richard Lewis – 109).
- He has gotten a hit in 43 of his last 44 games dating back to March 10 and 56 of 60 games overall this season.
- His batting average now stands at .430, the highest in Power 4, the 2nd best in the nation and the 7th highest in program history. It’s the second highest batting average by a Yellow Jacket this century and the highest since Chandler Simpson hit .433 in 2022.
QUICK HITS: THE ARMS
- Sophomore Jackson Blakely made his 13th start of the season, pitching 3.0 innings before running into trouble in the fourth.
- This loss snapped a 10-game winning streak in games started by Blakely this season, bringing the teams record to 10-3.
- His ERA is now 3.36 over 64.1 innings of work with 69 strikeouts – all the 2nd best on the team.
- Freshman Cooper Underwood made his 13th appearance of the season and his seventh out of the bullpen. He would give up one earned run on a solo home run. This was only the second time he has allowed a run in his seven relief appearances.
- Senior Brett Barfield produced a scoreless fifth inning in his 23rd appearance of the season. That lowered his ERA to 4.70 for the season over 23.0 innings of work.
Up Next
Georgia Tech and Oklahoma will meet in the rubbermatch on Monday for a spot in the NCAA Super Regional. First pitch is set for 3 pm and television designation will be announced soon.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on X (@GTBaseball), Facebook, Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
A woman was fatally stabbed on a MARTA train near the Oakland City Station on May 30, 2026. (FOX 5)
ATLANTA – A 25-year-old man is accused of fatally stabbing an Atlanta woman on a MARTA train at the Oakland City Station on Saturday.
What we know:
John Elijah Matthews is charged with murder in the death of 66-year-old Margaret Swan.
MARTA police officers were called to the train for a stabbing around noon.
Police officers arrested Matthews immediately near the train after several witnesses saw the violent act take place. Emergency medical workers attempted life-saving efforts, but Swan died on the scene.
“This appears to be a senseless act of violence, and our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones and those who witnessed this horrific incident,” MARTA said in an official statement. The agency stated that its police force is actively investigating the matter.
Woman stabbed to death on Atlanta MARTA train; 1 arrested
What we don’t know:
Investigators have not yet confirmed what happened in the moments leading up to the attack or whether Swan and Matthews knew each other beforehand.
Dig deeper:
Public transit passengers have expressed growing fear following the weekend killing. Another person survived a separate stabbing at the Georgia State MARTA station last weekend, leaving commuters worried about system security.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office and MARTA police. Additional information comes from prior FOX 5 reporting.
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