Nickeil Alexander-Walker has 23 points in loss

After struggling in Saturday’s ugly loss to the Pelicans, NAW bounced back in a big way against the shorthanded Pacers. He set a new season high for scoring and matched his career high for three-pointers, which he set last season. This was NAW’s best game of the season, as he also set a new season high for steals. He stepped up on offense with Jalen Johnson sidelined, which is what the Hawks needed to get back to .500 on the season. He’ll look to stay hot against the Wizards on Wednesday.

Alexander-Walker had a rough night in New Orleans, missing all six of his three-point attempts. As a result, his streak of five straight games with at least two three-pointers to begin the season ended. Add in the lackluster assist and steal production, and this was a tough night for fantasy managers rostering Alexander-Walker. He’ll look to bounce back on Monday against the Pacers.

24 hours after NAW scored 23 points in a loss to Miami, he was able to surpass that mark in a win. His scoring had been slightly down since he dropped 31 points in the season opener, but he has been able to get back on track as of late. Outside of a drop in free throw percentage, his production has been in line with what he did during last season’s breakout. If he continues to contribute at this level, he’ll be one of the better players in fantasy basketball once again.

Alexander-Walker averaged 20.8 points in his first season with the Hawks and started his second year in Atlanta by dropping 31 on the Magic. Two of his five three-pointers came with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter to help seal the win. Alexander-Walker is coming off his best season in the NBA and the 28-year-old guard appears to still be ascending.

Alexander-Walker was the only Hawks starter available for Monday’s game, and he played 25 minutes. NAW is coming off the most productive season of his NBA career and won Most Improved Player honors. While capable of providing top-50 fantasy value, Alexander-Walker should come off the board just after that threshold in 12-team formats.

Alexander-Walker struggled on Thursday, as did several Hawks players. He finished with more turnovers than made field goals, and didn’t make a big impact as a facilitator or defender in his 29 minutes. The unspectacular season-ending performance was unfortunate for Alexander-Walker, who made huge strides in his first season in Atlanta. He earned the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and was a reliable contributor in fantasy leagues. His role shouldn’t change much going next season, which means he’ll likely have strong fantasy value.

As a team, the Hawks shot 10-of-41 from beyond the arc on Saturday, and Alexander-Walker was responsible for five of the makes. While he had a good night shooting the basketball, the NBA’s Most Improved Player did not provide much value overall. And the Knicks have done a good job of defending Alexander-Walker thus far, as he’s scored 17 points or less in all four games. With the series tied at two games apiece, the teams return to New York for Game 5 on Tuesday.

Alexander-Walker exploded with a career year in his first season with the Hawks. The 27-year-old shooting guard averaged 20.8 points, 1.3 steals and 3.2 three-pointers while shooting 45 percent from the field and 39 percent from behind the three-point line. Alexander-Walker set the Hawks record for three-pointers made in a season. Atlanta holds a 2-1 series lead over the Knicks heading into Saturday’s Game 4.

Among the most improved players in the NBA this season, Alexander-Walker struggled in his Hawks postseason debut on Saturday. He shot 3-of-9 from two and wasn’t much better from beyond the arc while offering limited value in the other categories of importance. Given how well Alexander-Walker played throughout the season, nights like Saturday have not been the norm. He’ll look to improve his shooting efficiency in Game 2 on Monday.

The Hawks aren’t playing any of their starters in Sunday’s regular-season finale. Due to the absences, Zaccharie Risacher and Asa Newell are two forwards who should play plenty against the Heat.