For the second time this season, the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Atlanta Hawks behind a strong second-half defensive performance. When Atlanta built an 11-point lead in the third quarter, it seemed like they were in cruise control of the game. However, the Nets flipped the switch and got right back into it to close out.
Turnovers were an issue for Brooklyn in the first half, but by the final buzzer when they cleaned this up a little, the Nets only compiled 13 turnovers. Which is pretty decent. What became a glaring problem in the last two periods though was the team’s activity on the glass, especially defensively.
The Hawks outrebounded the Nets 49-41 in all and scooped up a massive 16 offensive boards. Every time Brooklyn would allow those offensive boards, the defense would not be set up to get stops after. Not only that, but this gave Atlanta the confidence and momentum that would’ve only increased if no adjustments were made.
That huge adjustment came in the form of Nic Claxton (4 PTS, 4 REBS). The youngster matched the Hawks’ activity on the glass on both ends and his defense on the perimeter only made him more annoying to Atlanta. Kevin Durant (31 PTS, 6 ASTS, 5 REBS) and James Harden (20 PTS, 11 ASTS) were then able to capitalize on the other end, orchestrating the offense.
The duo led the team to victory while also getting others involved. Brooklyn finished the game shooting 50% from the field and held Atlanta to 40% accuracy from the field.
Here are the player grades from Friday’s win. Nets head coach Steve Nash and his squad are back at it again on Sunday as they take on the Detroit Pistons at the Little Caesars Arena.