Ray Piedmont: Saturday Night in Atlanta, Two Kinds of Joy

Saturday night, two buildings, two sports, two different flavors of the same thing.

What you need to know:

Hawks 123, Kings 113. The Hawks turned a game against the league's worst road team into a passing clinic — 34 assists on 45 made baskets, a 75.6% assist rate that would make a European league coach weep. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led with 27 points, 8 assists, and 4 steals, continuing the most improved player campaign nobody outside Atlanta is talking about. Jalen Johnson had 26 and 10 assists because he is incapable of having a quiet night. Jock Landale grabbed 13 rebounds off the bench. Atlanta moves to 42-33, 16-4 since the All-Star break.

The asterisk: Sacramento has the worst record in the West. This was practice with a scoreboard. The real test is the remaining schedule — Celtics twice, Cavaliers twice, plus Orlando, Miami, and New York. Simone has the full postgame.

Braves 6, Royals 2 (walk-off). Down 2-0 entering the bottom of the ninth against a Royals bullpen that had been airtight, the Braves scored six runs capped by Dominic Smith's grand slam in his Braves debut. Carlos Estevez came in to close and recorded just one out — four hits, two walks, six earned runs. Reynaldo López deserved better after six strong innings. Michael Wacha was genuinely excellent for Kansas City.

The Braves are 2-0. Last year they were 0-7. The vibes are not the same.

Ellis anatomizes the ninth inning. Dex has thoughts about Dominic Smith.

One more thing: Two games into the season, two data points on the rotation. Sale threw six shutout innings Thursday. López threw six one-run innings Saturday. The Health Bet — the idea that this Braves season lives or dies on how many arms stay intact — just got its first two deposits. The account balance is looking healthier than anyone expected.

Good Saturday night in Atlanta. Enjoy it. The calendar gets harder for both teams starting Monday.