Atlanta, GA
Jalen Johnson has career-high 28 points as Hawks hold on late, snap Thunder’s 5-game winning streak
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/KS4ZMRBWLEIXSVZEYQNOXMZ7YY.jpg?ssl=1 "Jalen Johnson has career-high 28 points as Hawks hold on late, snap Thunder’s 5-game winning streak")
ATLANTA (AP) — Jalen Johnson scored a career-high 28 points and the Atlanta Hawks held off Oklahoma City 141-138 on Wednesday night, ending the Thunder’s five-game winning streak.
Atlanta opened the game with 11 straight points and never trailed. Trae Young had 24 points and 11 assists, one of four Hawks players who scored more than 20. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 23 points and Dejounte Murray had 22.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points and 13 rebounds to lead Oklahoma City. Jalen Williams scored 21.
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It was the second straight personal scoring high for Johnson, following his 24 points in a 130-126 win at Washington on Sunday.
“He’s going to have more career-high nights,” Young said. “My standard is high for Jalen.”
Gilgeous-Alexander’s layup with 48.5 seconds remaining cut Atlanta’s lead to 141-136, after the Thunder trailed by double digits most of the game. Following a miss by Murray, Gilgeous-Alexander’s basket trimmed the deficit to three.
Isaiah Joe’s last-second 3-pointer from the corner was no good for Oklahoma City.
“We didn’t have our best night, obviously, but I thought we stuck together and stayed in it,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We kind of played on their terms tonight. They outplayed us tonight.”
The Hawks improved to 5-9 at home. They play 10 of 15 games in January at home and hope to build off the win over the Thunder, who are competing for the best record in the Western Conference.
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“I think it’s huge, especially since we started the new year off with a win,” Johnson said. “I think it was a great start for our team. Hopefully we can get something out of that.”
The Thunder’s surge of eight wins in their last nine games included Tuesday night’s 127-123 victory over Boston. Oklahoma City ended winning streaks of nine games by the Los Angeles Clippers and six games by Boston during the nine-game stretch.
Johnson scored 12 points in the second quarter, including a jam over 7-foot-1 Chet Holmgren that gave Atlanta a 76-57 lead late in the first half.
In his third season, Johnson has seen his playing time increase dramatically. He had four steals against Oklahoma City to set another career high.
The challenge for Daigneault’s team was playing back-to-back nights, including a late-night flight from Oklahoma City to Atlanta, before facing the up-tempo Hawks.
Fatigue appeared to be a factor as the Thunder missed their first seven shots from the field and Atlanta scored the first 11 points.
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Atlanta’s 76-59 halftime lead was built on 19 fast-break points, matching the team’s high mark for any half this season.
Clint Capela had a double-double for Atlanta with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Bogdanovic shot 5 for 11 on 3-pointers.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Visit the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.
Hawks: Visit the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
IN OTHER NEWS:
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The Georgia Department of Transportation announced that a major weekend construction project, set to fully shut down two miles of I-285, has been postponed due to inclement weather. Atlantans are relieved, with many looking forward to more freedom to travel this Mothers’ Day weekend. Kim Leoffler has the story.
ATLANTA – An Atlanta flight attendant and mother of eight is among 17,000 Spirit Airlines workers struggling to find a new “destination” after the carrier suddenly shut down.
Spirit Airlines Atlanta impact
What we know:
Spirit Airlines ended all operations on Saturday, grounding its entire fleet and ending employment for its 17,000-person workforce. Flight attendants and customers were stranded across the country, often forced to pay for their own travel home after the discount carrier ceased operations.
Kamille Carter, an Atlanta-based flight attendant of five years, said she received the termination email from the CEO at 3 a.m., despite earlier assurances from union representatives that the company was stable. The company immediately cut healthcare benefits and stopped payments for sick leave and vacation time for all staff members.
Unpaid wages and benefits
What we don’t know:
It is unclear if Carter and her fellow employees will ever receive their final paychecks or if there is any legal recourse for the lost benefits. The company has not specified if any transition assistance will be provided to workers, some of whom had been with the airline since it launched in 1994.
Employee reaction in Georgia
What they’re saying:
“This is a death because you have to mourn, you have to grieve, it’s a process,” Carter said of the sudden job loss. Despite the financial strain of supporting eight children, Carter is looking toward her passion for cooking as a potential new career. She noted that while being uncomfortable is difficult, it can “push you to your destiny.”
Finding help in Atlanta
What you can do:
Community members looking to support Carter and other local workers affected by the shutdown can find more information on the FOX 5 Atlanta website. The station is collecting resources for those navigating the sudden loss of income and healthcare.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from an interview conducted by FOX 5 reporter Eric Perry, who spoke directly with former flight attendant Kamille Carter in Atlanta. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.
The search for missing 16-year-old Benjamin Braithwaite is over. Atlanta police announced just before midnight Thursday that he had been located, more than a week after he vanished from his Regency Trace home.
The department shared the update on social media but did not release additional details about where he was found or the circumstances surrounding his recovery.
Braithwaite had been missing since the night of April 27, when he was last seen around 9 p.m. at his home in Atlanta. His family said they had no contact with him during the entire time he was gone.
The disappearance of the KIPP Atlanta Collegiate High School sophomore and basketball team member had galvanized the Atlanta community. His family, teammates, Atlanta police officers and neighbors gathered at the school last week to raise awareness about his disappearance. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where his mother works, joined the search effort — asking the public to watch for him at MARTA stops and fast food restaurants.
A $10,000 reward had been offered for credible information leading to his safe return.
“Even small details matter. Your awareness could make the difference,” the airport wrote in an Instagram post earlier this week.
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