The Thunder beat the Hawks 140-129 last night, but the result wasn’t much of a surprise. Nickeil Alexander-Walker did all he could to keep his shorthanded team in the game, as he dropped 30 points on the Thunder’s vaunted defense while also grabbing four rebounds and dishing out five assists. It’s the fifth time he’s hit the 30-point mark this year, and he also led both teams with 40 minutes.
Alexander-Walker took an inbound with 3.4 seconds left in the first quarter, then crossed all-world defender Alex Caruso to the right, the put it back behind his back as he approached half court. With the two-time All-Defensive team selection squeezing him to the sideline, he let it fly with his left hand, then held the follow-through as if he knew all along it was good. It was, hitting nothing but net to give the Hawks a three-point lead.
Forget the stats and even the end result of the game for a minute, because NAW’s most notable contribution in this game was one of the craziest shots we’ve seen this year.
When an aspiring chef gets a compliment from Gordon Ramsay or Bobby Flay, it’s the best form of validation they can ever hope to receive. Alexander-Walker got his in the form of Kevin Durant, a shot-maker extraordinaire himself, commenting on the highlight on Twitter.
NICKEIL ALEXANDER- WALKER?!?!
From half court with the left hand at the buzzer.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 30, 2025
“Wow I can’t believe he even thought to use the left … bold enough to act on that thought, hold the follow through and then swish it. My god, one of those god like moments I be talking bout,” KD said.
It doesn’t get any better than that. Alexander-Walker has been known as a valuable role player throughout his career, but he’s gotten a much bigger opportunity since coming to the Hawks via a sign-and-trade this offseason. His 20.6 points per game are by far a career high, and the rest of his stats are up, too.
It’s easy to forget just how good NBA players are sometimes, but plays like this are a reminder that the talent in this league runs ridiculously deep. Alexander-Walker isn’t a superstar, but he’s still capable of making the ridiculous happen when given the chance.
This wasn’t even his dominant hand! If and when the Hawks gets everybody back in the lineup, this is going to be a dangerous team again, and he’s a big reason why.
