A few Nets had strong showings at Barclays Center on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks, helping lead to a 122-112 comeback win for Brooklyn. But it wasn’t the Nets’ smoothest game of the season
Trae Young went off for 47 points and earned 19 free-throws. One of the Nets the sophomore guard got in foul trouble was Spencer Dinwiddie, who has been the lifeblood of Brooklyn’s offense with both Kyrie Irving (right shoulder impingement) and Caris LeVert (right thumb surgery) still out.
Between Young and Alex Len (23 points off the bench), the Nets had a tough time slowing the Hawks down.
Eventually, Brooklyn got it together, made some big plays and hit some crucial shots down the stretch. It also helped DeAndre Jordan had a huge night on the boards. He grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds.
Jordan’s work on the glass, along with Taurean Prince’s (10 rebounds), is the sort of thing Kenny Atkinson was alluding to after Saturday’s game when he explained how the Nets pulled out a win even though they didn’t perform as well as the Hawks:
I thought they, quite honestly, outplayed us. I have to be honest. I think that win was pure heart and hustle and grit and all those intangibles. I think that’s what got us the win.