Brooklyn, Bridges burn Atlanta after slow start
The Nets are right back in it. Back within striking distance of the play-in tournament. Back to performing like the team they promise they’re capable of being. Back to relevance.
The Nets clawed their way to a 114102 win over the Hawks on Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center, the second leg of consecutive games between the teams. The Nets entered the two-game set four games behind the Hawks for the No. 10 seed in the East and final play-in spot, likely facing two must-win games. Now, after ripping the Hawks, 124-97, on Thursday and rallying to win Saturday, the Nets are just two games back of the Hawks with 22 games remaining and a favorable schedule ahead of them.
The Nets were quickly at risk of getting blown out of the building and seeing their postseason ambition take a significant hit. But Mikal Bridges wouldn’t let that happen.
His brutal shooting woes finally appear to be behind him, and he performed like the star the Nets need him to be if they are to make a serious run to the postseason. He poured in 38 points on 14-for-26 shooting from the field and 5 of 10 from behind the 3-point arc. It was the most Bridges scored since a Jan. 7 loss to the Blazers.
“Every game is really important for us,” Bridges said. “Treat every game like it’s our last. We gotta just keep fighting. Every day take one game at a time.”
The Nets trailed by as many as 13 points early, but they used a 7-0 run at the end of the second quarter to cut their deficit to 56-54, and a few moments later tied it at 59-59. They then used a 15-2 run in the third quarter to take a 75-66 lead, and never looked back.
The Nets hit all eight of their 3-point attempts in the second quarter, tying the franchise record for most takes without a miss in a quarter. They outscored the Hawks, 30-18, in the third quarter, the fewest points they’ve given up in a third quarter this season.
“Force. That’s what changed, playing with force on the offensive end, the defensive end, our cuts were sharper,” interim coach Kevin Ollie said. “On the offensive end, we shared the cake, and another thing: We stopped turning the ball over.”
Saturday’s Nets showing had many of the same qualities as Thursday’s win, a strong sign it can be sustainable and serve as a blueprint going forward. They shot a blistering 15for-32 from 3-point range (46.9 percent), keeping them in it for large stretches of the first half when their defense struggled. And they committed just 10 turnovers, an issue that had been plaguing them in recent weeks.
They were dominant in transition, holding a 15-0 advantage in fastbreak points.
Cameron Johnson picked up right where he left off, adding 23 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the field and 4 of 7 from 3-point range after erupting for a season-high 29 points Thursday night. Nic Claxton helped ice the game in the fourth quarter, highlighted by an alley-oop finish off a pass from Dennis Schroder that brought the 18,075 fans in Brooklyn to their feet. He finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
“Just keep competing,” Johnson said. “We knew they were going to come out with some juice today, some energy, and they threw the first punch, but there was plenty of game left.”
Saddiq Bey, who entered Saturday averaging 13.5 points per game, gave the Nets fits with 14 points in the first half. But the Nets slowed him down in the second half, holding him to nine points — many of which came in garbage time.
Dejounte Murray, who has been the Hawks’ primary scorer since they’ve been without Trae Young, added 20 points and 11 assists. But the Hawks’ offense, after being redhot in the first half, came back down to Earth in the second half. After the Nets’ sieve-like defense surrendered 62 points in the first half, they hunkered down and gave up just 40 points the second half.
It marked the third win under Ollie, who improved to 3-3 since taking over for the fired Jacque Vaughn. It was also the first time the Nets won back-to-back games since Jan. 27-29.