NBA Notes: Hawks, Jalen Johnson, Mavericks, Cooper Flagg, Jazz

Hawks

The Hawks pulled off one of the early comeback wins of the season, rallying from 22 down to beat the Suns 124-122 on the final night of their road trip.

Atlanta scored 47 points in the fourth quarter and finished the swing 5-0.

Jalen Johnson went for 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 26, and Onyeka Okongwu added 27 and five assists.

Zaccharie Risacher sparked the turnaround with multiple steals that led to transition buckets.

“We’ve talked about it being a game of runs,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder told reporters. “On the fourth game of a road trip, down 18 or 20, it would’ve been easy to fold. But that didn’t happen. It shows our competitive endurance.”

Risacher left with a hip contusion after a hard fall and did not return. Atlanta will evaluate him early this week. The Hawks return home Tuesday to face the Pistons.

Mavericks

The Mavericks finally exhaled. After losing seven of eight — including a double-OT heartbreaker to the Clippers — Dallas grabbed a 138-133 overtime win over the Trail Blazers.

Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford delivered down the stretch, leading seven Mavs in double figures.

Flagg finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Washington matched him with 21 and seven. Gafford added 20 points in 30 minutes.

Dallas erased its early turnover troubles after giving it away seven times in the first quarter. From there, the Mavs committed just five turnovers over the final three quarters and overtime.

Washington’s five threes and timely scoring steadied things early in the fourth, and Flagg scored the tying bucket to send it to OT.

The Blazers dominated second-chance points 32–10, but the Mavs went 7-for-7 from the field in overtime and didn’t turn it over.

Portland got 91 combined points from Deni Avdija (29), Jerami Grant (26) and Shaedon Sharpe (36). But Dallas closed the final 90 seconds with a Gafford hook, a Washington dunk and a Brandon Williams runner to seal the win.

Jazz

Utah keeps hanging around as a potential play-in team, and Sunday’s 2OT win over the Bulls didn’t hurt.

Lauri Markkanen poured in 47 points, continuing his blistering start to the season, and Keyonte George added 34 points, six assists and four steals.

George shook off a slow first half and repeatedly hit big shots in the fourth quarter and overtime. He’s shooting over 92 percent at the line this year and has taken a noticeable leap as both a scorer and decision-maker.

Rookie Ace Bailey had a tougher night, fouling out in just 10 minutes, but Utah still got a boost from Brice Sensabaugh, who scored in bunches late and played strong defense to stay on the floor in both OT periods.

Markkanen’s continued dominance has fueled league-wide debate over Utah’s long-term direction, but for now, the Jazz are simply stacking competitive games — and wins — even while missing Walker Kessler.