Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combining for 86 points would seemingly be a recipe for a runaway Nets victory, but that total wasn’t enough in Atlanta on Saturday night as the Hawks held off Brooklyn for a 122-115 win despite Durant’s career-high 55.
Trae Young led the streaking Hawks with 36 points in a win that reshaped the standings in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks and Nets entered the game with identical 40-37 records, also tied with the Charlotte Hornets, but Brooklyn’s loss dropped the Nets from eighth to 10th in the standings, trailing both Atlanta and Charlotte.
With the Nets now in 10th, they would play Charlotte in the play-in round – but plenty can change in the standings with four regular-season games left to play.
Here is what fans and analysts had to say about Saturday’s game.