Nickeil Alexander-Walker became the second straight Atlanta Hawks player to be named the NBA’s Most Improved Player when he was announced as the winner on Friday.

Alexander-Walker, 27, is just the third player in league history to win the award in his seventh season or later, joining Julius Randle (seventh season in 2020-21) and Hedo Turkoglu (eighth season in 2007-08).

After Dyson Daniels won the award last season, the Hawks are the first team since the award’s inception to have players win back-to-back MIP honors.

Alexander-Walker averaged a career-high 20.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his first season with Atlanta. He shot a career-best 45.9% from the floor, 39.9% from 3-point range and 90.2% from the free-throw line in 78 regular-season games.

Per Elias Sports, his 11.4 points-per-game increase from the 9.4 he averaged last season with Minnesota is the third-largest among qualified players over the last 25 seasons.

“Nickeil’s dedication, continual work on his craft, and the ensuing results this season make him incredibly deserving of this award,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said in a press release. “He has a tireless work ethic and a focus on improving in every aspect of his game. His game continues to evolve, and his commitment and unselfish attitude as a teammate have also positively impacted the success of the team.”

A 100-member global panel selected Alexander-Walker, who received 66 first-place votes, 19 for second and nine for third for a total of 396 points. Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons was second with 254 points (23 first-place votes), followed by Deni Avdija of the Portland Trail Blazers with 135 (seven).

Boston’s Neemias Queta was fourth with 41 points (zero), Milwaukee’s Ryan Rollins was fifth with 33 (three) and the Hawks’ Jalen Johnson was sixth with 21 points, including the other first-place vote.

–Field Level Media

The New York Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati spent Wednesday scoring four goals in their respective matches.

Most times, that’s enough to register a win, but neither team could clamp down defensively, each settling for one point.

Two teams coming off differing types of draws and trying to gain ground in the Eastern Conference standings get together Saturday night when the Red Bulls visit Cincinnati.

New York (3-3-3, 12 points) is 1-3-3 in its past seven matches since starting this season with one-goal wins over Orlando and New England. The Red Bulls have allowed 22 goals over that stretch, including eight in the past two.

On Wednesday, New York settled for a 4-4 tie against visiting D.C. United after blowing a two-goal lead by allowing three goals after the 54th minute. Jorge Ruvalcaba scored twice after Julian Hall and Ronald Donkor tallied in the first half.

“At the moment, we’re giving away too much,” New York coach Michael Bradley said. “The chances and goals we give away in certain moments are broken plays where a little bit of chaos — if we don’t take care of the chaos, then they’re going to start running guys through and our ability to deal with that wasn’t what was needed.”

Cincinnati (2-4-3, 9 points) is winless its past four games (0-1-3) and scored four goals for the second time this season when it rallied from a two-goal deficit in the final minutes for a 4-4 tie at New York City FC.

Kevin Denkey scored his second goal of the contest in the 65th minute, and Cincinnati added on twice in stoppage time when Andrei Chirila and Evander scored in a span of three minutes. Denkey leads the team with four goals and Evander notched his second of the campaign.

The comeback occurred after Cincinnati overcame a two-goal deficit and earned a 3-3 draw with the Chicago Fire last Saturday.

“He’s certainly confident in himself and what he’s capable of,” Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said of Evander. “Production-wise, didn’t start the season the way I’m sure he would have liked, or maybe what we would have expected. But we needed him to step up and Kevin to step up on a night where you need your biggest players to carry the team.”

–Field Level Media

The Green Bay Packers announced the signing of wide receiver Jayden Reed to a contract extension on Friday, with ESPN reporting the deal is for three years and worth $50.25 million.

Reed, who was entering the final year of his rookie contract, will be signed through 2029. The deal includes $20 million guaranteed, Reed’s agents Drew Rosenhaus and Ian Grutman told ESPN.

Reed, who turns 26 on Tuesday, is coming off of an abbreviated season marred by shoulder and foot injuries that both required surgery in Week 3.

He finished with 19 receptions on 22 targets for 207 yards and one touchdown in seven regular-season games (three starts). He also started the NFC wild-card playoff loss to the Chicago Bears and made four catches for 43 yards and a TD.

Reed has 138 receptions on 191 targets for 1,857 yards, 15 touchdowns and 13.5 yards per catch in 40 regular-season games (26 starts). He has another 12 catches for 124 yards and one TD in four playoff games (three starts).

Green Bay selected Reed in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He led the team in receiving in each of his first two seasons.

The Packers have overhauled their receiving corps, allowing Romeo Doubs to leave as a free agent for the New England Patriots and a four-year, $68 million contract in March. In early April, they traded wideout Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 fifth-round draft pick and 2027 sixth-rounder.

Green Bay still has receivers Christian Watson, 26, and Matthew Golden, 22, the latter a first-round pick in 2025.

–Field Level Media