Atlanta lost its second straight game in New York City, this time at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets. Coming off a blow-out loss against the New York Knicks on Wednesday, Atlanta put up a valiant effort against a hot-Brooklyn side. It was still not enough to overcome the duo of, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, whom navigated the Nets to a 120-116 victory.
Durant and Irving both had 30-plus points each, with Durant scoring 34 and Irving finishing with 33. Both players were a handful for the Hawks on defense all night, scoring at all three-levels. The two combined to go 7-16 from beyond the arc, 25-46 from the field overall and 77 of the teams’ 120 points.
This was Ben Simmons’ first appearance in four games for Brooklyn, after missing some time with a left calf strain. He saw 21 minutes of action and finished with 6 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds.
As most Hawks fans know, the team has been ravaged by injuries to its starting rotation. DeJounte Murray (ankle), John Collins (ankle), and De’Andre Hunter (hip), were all ruled out for this one. Nevertheless, Atlanta put up a good fight, much better than their effort against the Knicks, and were in this one up until the final minute of the fourth quarter.
Trae Young led the way for the Hawks, as he usually does, and kept his squad in it. Young was 12-25 from the field, but only 2-7 from deep, to tally for 33 points. Young also chipped in 9 assists.
The surprise for Atlanta was newly re-integrated shooting specialist, Bogdan Bogdanovic. In only his fourth game back from injury, Bogdanovic may have been the main reason the Hawks even had a shot in this one. ‘Bogi’ was unconscious from three finishing 7-9 on the night on his way to 31 points off the bench. This was a huge positive for Hawks fans moving forward.
Capela was able to finish with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double. Young wings, Jalen Johnson and A.J. Griffin, drew the starts but only combined to shot 5-19 from the floor and 1-10 from three-point land.
Atlanta is in the midst of a tricky stretch. They need to stay above water until players return from injury or else this ship could sink fast, especially in a tight Eastern Conference. The Hawks are 2-6 spanning over their last eight games. Their next shot to get back in the win-column will be at home Sunday when they host the Chicago Bulls. Tip-off for this one is at 6:30 p.m. eastern from State Farm Arena.
