Johnson, Risacher dazzle as Hawks steal first preseason game from Pacers, 131-130

Some great individual performances in this warmup contest.

The Hawks began their 2024-25 campaign with a preseason matchup against the Indiana Pacers. Bogdan Bogdanovic missed this contest for apparent rest reasons after winning bronze in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris with team Serbia. Onyeka Okongwu — who is nursing a toe injury — and Cody Zeller — away from the team — did the same.

The first starting lineup for the Hawks was Trae Young, new arrival Dyson Daniels, De’Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, and Clint Capela. Johnson got the scoring started for the Hawks below with a grab-and-go pull up midrange jumper.

But the Hawks were slow to get going defensively, giving up some easy buckets and falling behind 9-2 and then 22-5 early in the offing.

But Kobe Bufkin and first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher brought some energy to the previous lethargic unit on the floor, and a couple of triples helped turn the tide.

Towards the end of the first quarter, however, the Hawks went on a roll. Risacher looked comfortable in his first NBA game, and Trae and Jalen showcased their obvious talent on many occasions. It’s a new season, but Young can still hit wild shots like this one.

After one quarter, the Hawks led 35-31.

The second quarter began like the first, however. The Hawks couldn’t buy a bucket, nor could they buy a stop. But once the bench came in (and the Pacers starters left), the Hawks again picked up the production.

After a half of pretty exciting play, especially for a preseason contest, the Hawks trailed the Pacers 63-58. Jalen Johnson, in particular, had a thunderous first half with 15 points and eight rebounds.

In the second half, Young continued to dazzle whenever he got on the ball. It’s hard for anyone in the league to stay in front of him when he’s pulling out tricks like this.

Zacch Risacher was not to be outdone, however, as he dazzled with this between the legs pass to Capela for the and-1.

Of course, Risacher did what he did best regularly tonight as well — finding space from beyond the arc to knock down triples. He would finish 3-for-4 from three tonight in a very impressive NBA debut for the Frenchman.

The Hawks and Pacers virtually locked after three quarters, 99-98 to the good guys.

Understandably, the final period was largely just reserve players battling it out. Vit Krejci and Mouhamed Gueye among others got extended run. Krejci flashed some real chops moving the ball, and Kobe Bufkin had a solid outing as he looks to lock down the backup point guard spot.

That pair connected on this incredible transition play midway through the fourth quarter.

The Hawks closed with three two-way players, Keaton Wallace, Seth Lundy, and Dominick Barlow, plus David Roddy and Mouhamed Gueye.

The final possession was a veritable mad scramble. Roddy was fouled at halfcourt with the Hawks trailing 130-127. After making the first free throw, the miss somehow found the hands of Seth Lundy, who launched through two defenders.

The winning shot fell in with 0.3 seconds remaining to give the Hawks a 131-130 preseason victory.

Jalen Johnson finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in just 22 minutes of play. Zaccharie Risacher added 18 points on a tidy 7-for-9 (78%) shooting evening. Dyson Daniel brought some tough on-ball defense to go along with 14 points and three assists while Trae Young posted a relatively quiet 17 and 6.

All in all, a lot of great individual performances plus a last second win brought some good vibes on the first day of live basketball in 2024-25.