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Jalen Johnson · Nearly a full month removed from a 29-point showcase that tied a career-best during November’s road trip to The Bayou, Jalen Johnson had highs and elevations of a different kind in mind during December 2, 2024’s bird-based battle. Among the many difficult-to-guard scorers among the Atlanta Hawks’ well-balanced rotation, Johnson steps to the task of raising his team’s trajectory through a screen, re-screen design, creating a runway for whatever dunk he could get into within two steps. Like a plane lifting off, Atlanta’s fourth-year sensation ascends powerfully — with a creative mid-air switching of the hands, no less — outlasting New Orleans Pelicans big Yves Missi for one of the season’s best aerial displays. Pivotal in his role for a Hawks team beginning to hit its stride, Johnson tallied 19 points (on 9-of-14 shooting), joining six others in the double-figure scoring column, alongside seven rebounds, five assists, one steal, one block, and one 3-pointer. It helped mark Atlanta’s fourth-consecutive win, momentum they would ultimately carry through the NBA Cup’s Knockout Round. · State of Mint