NETS ON THE FLIP SIDE
Brooklyn could benefit from Hawk misfortune
Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young suffered a significant left-hand injury in Friday’s 123121 loss to the Raptors at State Farm Arena.
Young, who has averaged 26.4 points and 10.8 assists this season, then underwent an MRI exam on Saturday that revealed a tear of the radial collateral ligament in the fifth finger of his left hand. The team announced on Sunday that his injury will require surgery and at least four weeks of recovery. While many around the league will be wishing Young a speedy recovery in the days ahead, his absence from the Hawks’ lineup for the foreseeable future could offer the Nets the break they have been looking for.
Atlanta (25-32) is currently sitting at 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, 3.5 games ahead of the Nets(21-35) for the final Play-In spot. The teams had 25 and 26 games left in the regular season, respectively, entering Monday’s matchups.
The Nets host the Hawks at Barclays Center on Thursday and Saturday this week, which gives them a prime opportunity to close the gap. Despite all the chaos the Nets have endured in recent weeks, they still have a shot at a postseason berth, and it starts with two wins against an undermanned Atlanta team. Beyond that, they have the second-easiest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon.
Still, the Nets are not in a position to take any team for granted. Kevin Ollie has begun his tenure as interim head coach 0-2 following Saturday’s 101-86 loss to the Timberwolves. The team has lost seven of its past eight games and has not eclipsed 100 points since a 118-110 loss to the Celtics at home ahead of the All-Star break.
The Nets are averaging just 89.5 points per game under Ollie and have been outscored in transition, 71-16. They still have two more road games against Memphis and Orlando before welcoming the Hawks for that twogame series.
“Everyone’s focus and effort, I think those are the main two things,” said Ben Simmons. “Obviously we got new schemes, new plays, but as long as we got the energy and play hard and focus, I think we will be fine.”
The Hawks improved to 3-3 without Young on the court this season with Sunday’s 10992 defeat of Orlando. They have an offensive rating of 116.3 with the guard on the court this season versus 114.0 without him. However, their defensive rating improves from 118.9 to 116.1 without Young on the court.
The Nets are 1-1 against Atlanta this season. Its most recent matchup against the Hawks came on Dec. 6 at State Farm Arena, a 114-113 Nets win that saw Mikal Bridges pour in a game-high 32 points on 12-of-19 shooting with five rebounds and six assists in 35 minutes of action.
Reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart re-signed with the Liberty, the team announced Monday.
The Libs now have their entire starting lineup back from last season’s team that lost in the WNBA Finals to the Las Vegas Aces.
“It’s a monumental day in New York as we are thrilled to welcome back the MVP, Breanna Stewart,” general manager Jonathan Kolb said. “Stewie’s return marks our unwavering commitment to excellence and our collective drive to bring a championship to New York.”
Stewart came to the Liberty last season after spending her entire career with the Seattle Storm. She averaged 23 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists and earned the league MVP honor for the second time in her career. The MVP award was one of the tightest races with Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas and Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson right behind Stewart.
The 29-year-old forward previously won the league’s MVP in 2018 and helped Seattle win two WNBA championships in 2018 and 2020. She was MVP of the Finals both times.
The Liberty made the Finals for the first time since 2002 before losing in four games to Las Vegas.
It was no surprise that the Liberty re-signed Stewart after putting the franchise tag on her.
“I’m excited for what we’re doing here in New York and with the Liberty. … I’m looking forward to it for many years to come,” Stewart said in exit interviews after the loss in the finals.
Stewart signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal at less than the league’s super maximum salary of nearly $242,000, a person familiar with the contract told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no terms of the deal had been released. The contract terms were first reported by The Athletic.
The move gives the Liberty more flexibility with its roster.