Atlanta, GA
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From Atlanta’s Loss to the Knicks
In what was the best NBA game of the night, the Hawks and the Knicks battled till the very last shot and New York came out on top. It was a playoff like atmostphere and the game was played with the intensity and physicality of a postseason game.
Despite the Hawks losing this game, they have to feel something about being able to go toe to toe with one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference. They want to win these games of course, but they are continuing to show that their late season surge is not a fluke.
Let’s break down the good, the bad, and the ugly from last night.
The Good
Nickeil Alexander-Walker tallied a game-high 36 points on 12-19 shooting, including 7-11 from beyond the arc, to go along with two rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes of play, marking his 74th game of the season with 10-or-more points, the third-most double-digit scoring outings amongst all players in the NBA this season and the most by an Eastern Conference player. Alexander-Walker has recorded his 15th career game with 30+ points. Of his 15 career 30-point performances, 10 have come since joining the Hawks this season.
With his seven makes from deep, Alexander-Walker has knocked down 244 three-pointers this season, surpassing Bogdan Bogdanovic (240, 2023-24) for the most triples in a single season in franchise history. The Virginia Tech product has buried at least one three-pointer in 25 consecutive contests, the second-longest such streak of his career.
Dyson Daniels recorded 11 points in addition to a game-high tying 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 38 minutes of action, marking his league-leading 49th multi-steal game of the season. With his ninth rebound of the game, Daniels grabbed his 500th board of the season, becoming just the second Hawks guard in franchise history to record 500 rebounds in a single season, joining Lou Hudson in 1968-69 (533).
Jalen Johnson recorded 21 points, shooting 3-5 from deep, in addition to 11 rebounds and five assists in 41 minutes of play, marking his 48th double-double of the season, the third-most such games in the NBA this season. In tonight’s victory, Johnson notched his 28th game of the season with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds, the most by a Hawk in a season since Kevin Willis in 1993-94 (31).
CJ McCollum recorded 17 points in addition to six assists, three rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in 35 minutes of play, marking his 66th game of the season scoring 10-or-more points.
Onyeka Okongwu recorded 12 points in addition to eight rebounds in 37 minutes of action, marking his 60th double-digit scoring performance of the season and the 205th of his career.
The Hawks had 19 offensive rebounds last night and actually finished with an edge on the glass.
Atlanta won the possession battle, taking 11 more shots than the Knicks.
Atlanta held New York to 11-33 shooting from three.
The Bad
The offense was not good enough for the Hawks, despite the big night from Alexander-Walker. Atlanta shot 41.5% on twos and Atlanta missed a lot of shots that they normally make. If you want to feel good about this loss if you are a Hawks fan, I think you can count on them making those shots more often than not, but they did not have it last night.
Atlanta was outscored 52-34 in the paint.
While the Hawks grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, they were only able to score 13 second chance points.
The Knicks scored 21 points off the Hawks 15 turnovers.
The Knicks had 29 assists last night, Hawks had 23. Atlanta leads the league in assists and it is rare to see them lose that stat.
The Ugly
The Hawks sorely missed Jock Landale in this game. While the Hawks won the overall rebounding battle, they allowed Mitchell Robinson to come off the bench and score eight points and grab 12 rebounds. His presence against Mouahmed Gueye and the backup bigs was noticeable and if these two do end up meeting in the postseason, that will be something to watch.
While he is one of the most clutch players in the league, the Hawks cannot allow Jalen Brunson to score 17 points in the fourth quarter. He took over the game and won it on his own in the final quarter.
Atlanta, GA
Review: Pink Lotus is more than a pretty face, it’s a Westside standout in Atlanta’s Thai evolution
Photograph by Martha Williams
Atlanta’s Thai scene has decisively shifted in the past two decades. If you asked me where to go for Thai food in the 1990s, my list would have included a handful of dependable spots for pad thai and standard curries. For so long, Little Bangkok reigned on Cheshire Bridge. That is, until the arrival of chef Nan Niyomkul and her late husband, Charlie, who opened Tamarind in 1998 and Nan Thai Fine Dining in the early aughts. Those early anchors helped cement the foundation of Thai food in Atlanta, but the real evolution occurred when homegrown restaurateurs and chefs began responding to diners’ growing demand for dishes with a point of view.
Today, Thai offerings in Atlanta are more regional, expressive, and personal. The growth is most evident in greats such as Tum Pok Pok on Buford Highway and Talat Market in Summerhill. Both helped prove Atlanta was ready for more complex Thai flavors and dishes. They pushed the dialogue forward, and now, Pink Lotus is carrying the conversation into the Westside.
Photograph by Martha Williams
The restaurant’s location at the Stockyards Atlanta is savvy, given how few Thai restaurants exist in the industrial neighborhood. Owner Niki Pattharakositkul, the engine behind the ubiquitous 26 Hospitality Group, has built a reputation for approachable Thai across the metro area. The group’s dependable workhorse is 26 Thai; Pink Lotus is its shiny new jewel with a clear aesthetic and culinary identity. The restaurant educates diners about regional Thai dishes that are bold in color and intense in flavor, with a splash of drama.
The fuchsia-soaked restaurant’s name is a tribute to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, who is also revered by Buddhists in Thailand. She is traditionally depicted standing on a giant pink lotus. Embodying an ethos of abundance, she watches over the dining room from a hand-painted mural that sets the mood for the plush velvet banquettes and gold accents throughout. The enormous custom lanterns in orange, green, and pink add warmth to the industrial space.
The menu, approachable and expansive, highlights Thailand’s main culinary regions—northern, southern, central, and Isaan. I knew this was a different type of restaurant the minute I saw the beautiful plating of the miang kham. The starter sets the mood early with neat piles of herbaceous betel leaves, coconut, lime, ginger, peanuts, and palm sugar syrup, all meant to be combined for a perfect sweet, salty, herbal, and sharp bite.
Photograph by Martha Williams
Nearly every table seems to order the crispy tempura-fried kale mixed with ground chicken and punchy lime dressing. It arrives piled high, and it’s a crunchy bite that’s fun to eat and share. The restaurant offers numerous salads, such as papaya, as well as heartier options, including grilled pork jowl served on a mini tabletop grill. Skip the pad thai; there are more interesting dishes on the menu. Instead, order the branzino, either steamed or fried. We opted for the fried, which was perfectly greaseless and served with a vinegary, bright-green apple salad.
The crab fried rice, with its plump pieces of sweet lump crab, is a pricey splurge ($39) but worth it for any seafood lover. It comes with a green chili sauce for drizzling. The bone-in beef short rib looks like something out of The Flintstones. But it was the beef cheek curry served in a Southern Thai yellow-green curry sauce with eggplant that scratched the itch for something saucy and slightly spicy.
Not every dish is successful. The dry charcoal-grilled chicken lacked sufficient char. The khao soi was over-reduced: The sugar and salt were so intense that not even a trace of heat or a squeeze of lime could save it. (Otherwise, the soup of egg noodles and a chicken leg in a coconut-based yellow curry is well-constructed.) Service also needs improvement and the staff more training. One of our servers forgot to put in our order but played it off as managing the pacing.
Photograph by Martha Williams
A lengthy cocktail list from the gem of a bar, lined with colorful glass jars and clay vases, names inventive cocktails such as the Somtum Martini, a gin-based drink with flavors inspired by the tang of papaya salad.
Pink Lotus isn’t just filling a gap on the Westside; it’s raising the bar. As our city’s Thai food scene grows more varied and regionally expressive, Pink Lotus’s cooking and transportive design demonstrate how far we have come.
This article appears in our April 2026 issue.
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Co-owner and chef Mark Mansour walks about the pink and green-hued dining room at Bey, greeting each guest with his signature smile and warmth. There is an ease about him as he brings platters of hummus and pita to tables, telling stories of his father’s chicken recipe and how a full dining table feels like Sundays at home. He’ll even plop a seat next to you, asking about your kids or the weather — a note of Lebanese hospitality that is abundant here.
Chaos reigned in St. Louis and D.C., both of the league co-leaders took a punch or two, the defending champs got stymied at home yet again, and we got treated to a James Rodríguez sighting in Minnesota.
MLS Matchday 10 served up a spicy feast for MLS viewers from coast to coast. Have a taste…
How ‘bout them Earthquakes?
Remarkably, San Jose’s stupendous start has stretched to nine wins in their first 10 matches, as Bruce Arena’s Quakes survived a stout test in St. Louis Saturday night to remain tops in the Supporters’ Shield table.
In a vibrant clash that offered one of the best watches of the matchday, the visitors struck first via Preston Judd before STL CITY SC dashed off two goals in two second-half minutes to raise the roof at Energizer Park. But the NorCal boys responded via Timo Werner, who converted a penalty kick before rasping a nasty volley past his old German Bundesliga adversary Roman Bürki to deliver a 3-2 win.
Werner’s now up to 4g/5a in his first 450 MLS minutes, and is the first Quakes player in history to net at least a goal and an assist in three straight games.
It was a gut punch for CITY, though San Jose’s dramatic turnaround should offer encouragement for Yoann Damet’s rebuilding project in the Gateway City. And feverish atmospheres like that one will surely power the ‘Ravioli Boyz,’ as STL’s hardcore fans have dubbed them, to positive results in the coming months.
San Jose-STL wasn’t Saturday’s only 3-2 thriller. Let’s swing through Audi Field next.
What’s gotten into D.C. United? A Black-and-Red side that scored just four goals across their first eight games have suddenly rattled off seven in their last two, following up a wild 4-4 midweek draw vs. Atlantic Cup rivals Red Bull New York with an open, topsy-turvy 3-2 defeat of Orlando City, even with their attacking linchpin Tai Baribo held out due to an injury concern.
With no Baribo, it was the perfect time for record winter signing Louis Munteanu to step up: The Romanian bagged his first goal for United to equalize at 2-2 in the 84th minute after the visiting Lions thought they’d snatched the points with two tallies of their own. Then, Australian defender Kye Rowles donned the hero’s cape with a game-winning header from close range at the death to send the United faithful into raptures.
“Something is growing up, something is emerging, and I’m happy for the team,” said D.C. head coach René Weiler, who’d recently called out his team’s mentality with some strong words after ugly home setbacks vs. FC Dallas and to USL League One side One Knoxville SC in US Open Cup play.
“Building the confidence, for this it’s important that you have some good results, that you win sometimes. It was a little bit lucky at the end, but well deserved, because everybody was pushing forward. I felt it, that the guys, they wanted to get a good result.”
Another fun one unfolded out West in Vancouver, where the Whitecaps kept pace with San Jose atop the standings with their fourth straight win, holding off a spirited challenge from the Colorado Rapids to bank a 3-1 win before a bumper crowd of 27,588 at BC Place – VWFC’s 19th straight league home match with more than 20,000 in attendance.
Vancouver’s potent attack, combined with a Rapids side happy to open up the throttle, led to an end-to-end slugfest, the two sides producing a combined 6.5 expected goals. Despite a determined push from the Mile High Club, a Brian White brace enabled the ‘Caps to pull away down the stretch.
Now here’s where things get really interesting for Thomas Müller & Co. Due to BC Place’s duties as a 2026 FIFA World Cup venue, Vancouver will play their next nine games on the road, starting with tasty-looking visits to LA Galaxy and San Jose early next month, and won’t host at their downtown home until August. Can they keep up this explosive form amid such nomadic wanderings?
After a string of profoundly chaotic barnburners at BMO Field – if you don’t know what we’re talking about, start by searching ‘Luka Gavran goal’ – things finally got slightly less wild in Toronto FC’s Saturday afternoon clash with Atlanta United. Well, aside from the development that the Five Stripes actually won a game.
Thanks to a banger of a free kick from much-critiqued Designated Player Alexey Miranchuk and a gorgeous team goal finished by Tristan Muyumba, ATLUTD secured a 2-1 victory, their first away W of the season and just their third overall across all competitions, snapping a lengthy winless skid while also ending a TFC unbeaten run.
How rough has 2026 been down in Georgia? Just a few days ago, Atlanta head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino declared he “would probably be fired” by now were it not for the glorious legacy of his first stint in charge of the team. So this was a big, big result for ATL, and a correspondingly cold sensation for TFC – who are getting absolutely ravaged by the injury bug; about half their preferred XI was already sidelined, and this weekend Benjamin Kuscevic and José Cifuentes both limped off in the first half.
Around the grounds
Showpiece offseason signing Germán Berterame scored his third goal in four games to fuel his hopes of a role with the Mexican national team at this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup. Yet Inter Miami remain winless at Nu Stadium after a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday, which marks three draws in their first three fixtures at their glittering new home.
The resulting low rumble of discontent among their fans is understandable to a point, though more so a sign of the sky-high expectations around the Herons, who sit second in the Eastern Conference and have lost just one game this season.
Did Marco Reus just produce his best performance in an LA Galaxy kit? The German legend was the main man at Dignity Health Sports Park in Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, nailing a pinpoint free kick and a late game-winning PK to see the Gs past Diego Luna’s Real Salt Lake, 2-1.
Amid injuries and wider team struggles in LA, Reus has found rhythm hard to come by in MLS. But if he can contribute more displays like this, it could elevate the Galaxy in the West reckoning.
Is… is that… is that a WINNING STREAK underway up in Québec? Indeed it is: CF Montréal, who posted just six league victories in their 2025 campaign and failed to win back-to-back matches at any point, edged New York City, 1-0, at Stade Saputo for their second consecutive W.
An early strike from Prince Owusu, whose six goals and three assists rank him as one of MLS’s most productive attackers, made the difference, a fitting tribute to beloved local soccer scribe Matthias Van Halst on his passing earlier in the day. Meanwhile, NYCFC’s winless skid has now run to six games.
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