First-year Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker sat down in front of the reporter’s cameras, voice recorders, and notebooks after practice on Wednesday afternoon. From the look of his body language, the veteran Canadian guard was looking forward to having the next couple of nights off.
Asked if he was looking forward to having Wednesday and Thursday night off before the Hawks host the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm Arena on Friday night, Alexander-Walker confirmed what his body was already giving off.
“For sure,” he said. “You get time to relax, and it’s always good to mix in rest. You feel a lot lighter.”
Alexander-Walker hasn’t gotten much rest this season, as he has played in 17 of the Hawks’ 19 games. Primarily a starter, Alexander-Walker is averaging 31.6 minutes per game to go along with nearly 19 points, three rebounds, and just over three assists per game.
He added that it would be good to “get away from the X’s and O’s for a bit.”
On Tuesday, the Hawks played like they were ready for Thanksgiving break, falling behind by 20 points to the Washington Wizards en route to a 19-point loss to one of the worst teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Atlanta, 11-8 overall, is currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and will have a tough string of games coming up. Along with hosting Cleveland, the Hawks will play back-to-back road games at Philadelphia and Detroit on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
The Hawks will return to Atlanta to host the Denver Nuggets on Friday, December 5, before traveling to the Nation’s Capital to face the Wizards again on Saturday, December 6.
On Wednesday, Hawks second-year forward Zaccharie Risacher could be seen working on his three-point shot with coaches. Risacher was coming off screens and catch-and-shoots, trying to get his stroke back. A night earlier in Washington, he scored 17 points during what would be a blowout loss and one of the many mundane regular-season games in the NBA. The game wasn’t meaningless to Risacher, who broke a single-digit scoring streak he had been going through. Risacher scored just five points against the Charlotte Hornets the last time the Hawks were at home last Sunday, and eight points at New Orleans last Saturday. The Hawks won both games, but are a better team when Risacher, who averages 11.7 points, 2.8 rebounds per game, and shoots 44.6% from the field, adds his two cents.
Risacher scored just two points in the Hawks’ loss in San Antonio a week ago.
The Atlanta Hawks are 3-4 at home this season, but Alexander-Walker understands that the NBA season is indeed a marathon.
“On to the next,” he said. “You’ve got to learn from your wins and your losses.”
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