The Atlanta Hawks fell to the Brooklyn Nets 114-102 on Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center. Atlanta’s offensive struggles appeared for the second straight game, scoring just 40 points in the second half. Mikal Bridges’ 38 points were too much for the Hawks to overcome.
Unlike Thursday’s matchup, Atlanta got out to a great start. Bogdan Bogdanović hit his first two triples after a rough shooting performance last game, and De’Andre Hunter hit back-to-back threes off the bench. The Hawks started 4-7 from downtown compared to the Nets 1-6 to take an early 16-7 lead. While Brooklyn was busy defending the three-point line, Saddiq Bey bullied his way into the paint for looks at the rim. Dejounte Murray threw a perfect pocket pass to Bruno Fernando who slammed home a powerful dunk stunning Nets fans. Atlanta took a 28-21 lead into the second quarter after Brooklyn closed the frame on a 6-0 run. The Hawks shot 50% from the field and 40% from three. Murray dished out six assists.
After a good defensive opening quarter, Atlanta’s defense started to slip in the second. Cam Johnson and Bridges caught fire from downtown. However, Bey took over and scored 10 straight Hawks points to hold a 41-36 advantage. Hunter cashed in his second set of two consecutive triples, shooting 4-5 from deep, to extend Atlanta’s lead to 56-48. While the Hawks shot the three-ball well, the Nets took it to another level. Brooklyn converted on all eight of its threes in the second quarter, ending with 39 points in the frame. Murray and Bridges traded triples to send the teams to the locker room with the Hawks leading 62-60. Bridges had a 20-point half, while Bey and Hunter scored 14 each.
Coming out of the locker room, the Hawks’ offense looked disorganized. Jalen Johnson narrowly beat the shot clock on the first posession, but Atlanta turned the ball over the next two trips, leading to easy Brooklyn transition looks. Bridges took advantage of mismatches leading an 8-0 Nets run to take a 68-64 lead. The Hawks shot a shocking 1-10 to start the frame and scored just two points in four minutes. Murray knocked down a three to restore some order, but Brooklyn countered immediately with a Cam Johnson four-point play, taking an 83-73 lead. Atlanta encountered another scoring drought making one shot from the field, in the final four minutes of the frame to find themselves down 90-80 heading into the fourth quarter. The Nets outscored the Hawks 30-18 in the frame.
Atlanta’s offense continued to struggle when Brooklyn forced two turnovers in the first three possessions. However, the Nets failed to capitalize on the other end with their shooting woes. Amazingly, both squads combined to score four points in the first three minutes of the quarter. With Brooklyn up by 15, Murray scored two straight buckets against Nic Claxton bringing the deficit to 10. The momentum was short-lived as Bogdanović had two costly turnovers, and the Nets took advantage. They increased their lead to 107-90, sealing the victory leading to “garbage time” minutes down the stretch.
Murray finished with 20 (8-19 FG) points, 11 assists and six boards. 10 of those assists came in the first half. Bey led the way with 23 points on 8-14 shooting, but Jalen Johnson struggled. He shot 3-12 from the field for seven points and nine rebounds, and Bogdanovic scored 13 (4-12 FG) points. Clint Capela posted an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Hunter and Fernando totaled 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Bridges shot 14-26 from the field, including 5-10 from deep. Cam Johnson put up 23 points on 4-7 from downtown, and Dennis Schröder shot an inefficient 4-13 for 14 points. Claxton dropped a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double, and Dorian Finney-Smith added 11 points.
The Hawks’ next contest will be in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday against the New York Knicks. Atlanta must salvage this game to avoid a 0-3 New York road trip.
