Official Game Thread: Hawks at Nets

[lethalweapon3]

“Wait… who ate the last Patti LaBelle Pie???”

 

Well, at least they’re losing better! Lionel Hollins’ Brookyn Nets return home to Barclays Center to host the Atlanta Hawks (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports South, YES Network) after a four-game road swing. The Hawks (8-4) have been around to brighten the spirits of four at-or-below-.500 teams, and Hollins hopes his Nets (1-9) will be next in line for the gifting.

Brooklyn finally got in the win column last Wednesday, blowing past the waffling Rockets in Houston on the strength of a 27-15 fourth quarter. Two nights later, the Nets could not stop DeMarcus Cousins from piling up 30 second-half points, falling by just two in Sacramento. The next night, Jarrett Jack (28 points, nine assists) and Thaddeus Young helped the Nets race to a 17-point first-half lead versus undefeated Golden State. 21 points later from Stephen Curry after the first half, Brooklyn found itself headed for an overtime loss.

It’s part of a recurring theme that the Nets, virtually designed by management to be shallow and defensively challenged, needs to find enough gas to in the second halves to win ballgames. Two weeks ago, Brooklyn waltzed into their Philips Arena lockers with a 44-41 halftime lead, but couldn’t keep Atlanta from shooting 59% from the field and putting up 60 points in the second half.

It’s not all deck-chair-rearranging for Hollins just yet, though. Sliding rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (3-for-6 FGs, season-high 13 rebounds @ GSW) up to the top line has paid dividends, while Jarrett Jack, Brook Lopez and Bojan Bogdanovic are playing with better consistency, at least on offense, limiting the necessity for woeful bench options Shane Larkin, Markel Brown, Wayne Ellington, Andrea Bargnani and Thomas Robinson to see much of the floor. Brooklyn will need a stronger performance out of their handsomely-paid small forward, however. Especially as Atlanta’s starter at the 3-spot (Kent Bazemore) gives his sprained ankle a rest.

In his Nets’ last visit to Atlanta, Joe Johnson (10.8 PPG, 32.5 FG%, 19.4 3FG%; 3-for-12 FGs @ GSW) contributed a team-high six assists but shot just 1-for-10 from the field during the 101-87 loss. Aside from his passing (4.4 APG, 1.5 TOs/game), Joe’s presence on the floor has been largely ceremonial to this point. He passes Michael Jordan on the NBA all-time list with 1,073 games played tonight.

''That first half (versus Brooklyn on November 4), everybody missed open shots,'' Dennis Schröder said after filling into the starting lineup for a rested Kyle Korver and scoring 20 points (3-for-6 FGs). Returning to the site where he last started for Team World on All-Star Weekend, he’ll fill in at point guard this time around, as Jeff Teague continues to rest his own sprained ankle. ''In the second half, we picked up our intensity on defense. Played team defense and played with the same pace on offense.''

With Paul Millsap’s turnaround baseline shot rimming out on Sunday, Atlanta’s 97-96 loss to the Jazz ended a 30-game winning streak at Philips Arena when the Hawks held opponents under 100 points. But Utah’s failure to reach the century mark had more to do with their control of the game tempo (and the 50/50 balls) than Atlanta’s defensive approach. Mike Budenholzer gave his usual post-loss shpiel, that defensive rebounding “isn’t where it needs to be.” That’s largely because, more times than not, his most important defensive rebounder hasn’t been where he needs to be.

EIGHT SECONDS LEFT… HAWKS DOWN 1, THEY NEED A BUCKET… DENNIS DRIVES, HE LAYS IT UP… NO GOOD! BUT HORFORD IS THERE AT THE RIM!! HE… DRIBBLES OUT TO THE THREE-POINT LINE AND SHOOTS… IT GOES IN! HAWKS WIN! HAWKS WIN!!

Thus ends the dream sequence that Al Horford plays in his mind about his most momentous moment in an NBA jersey. It didn’t work out quite that way, six months ago. But the Hawks needed everything Al could give them to avoid going back to Washington down 3 games to 2. The 23 points, 18 of them on 9-for-17 shooting inside the perimter. The one… one… wide-open three-pointer he swished from the corner, late in the game. The five blocks. The ability to run circles around Marcin Gortat. Most importantly, the rebounds; 11 of them, six offensive and none more crucial than the last one of the game.

When the Hawks needed to avoid going down 3-2 versus Brooklyn in the prior playoff series, Al came through with 20 points and 15 rebounds, including ten defensive boards. It’s the last time we’ve seen double-digit defensive rebounding from this All-Star in a game.

Atlanta need not wait until springtime to see their Heroford bloom. But the pivot who needs to be Option A under the rim has double-digit rebounding performances just twice through 12 games at the early stage of this season, this after collecting ten or more 16 times in 76 appearances last season. His tallies in the last three games have dwindled from eight, to six, to five. The three D-Rebs in the loss to Utah matches his season low from the opener versus Detroit.

Al’s current 18.0 D-Reb% is below, by my back-of-napkin count, that of at least 25 starting NBA centers (at par with the Nets’ Lopez) and such notables as Thabo Sefolosha, Rajon Rondo, Nemanja Bjelica, Ryan Anderson and Will Barton. It’s one thing to strive to become less of a center and more of a combo forward; it’s another thing to abdicate duties for Millsap (career-high 7.3 DRPG) and other non-center teammates to do on your behalf.

In 2014-15, Atlanta was 17-5 when Horf’s D-Reb percentage fell BELOW 15%, and 16-9 when it exceeded 25%. So, to be fair, defensive rebounding from Horford, in and of itself, isn’t indicative of a likely victory. But one other factor seems to be at least correlated.

Horford has also gone three full games without drawing a single shooting foul; he has maxed out at four foul shots in any game this season. Last season, Atlanta was a ridiculous 42-4 in games where Al had just ONE free throw ATTEMPT; a pedestrian 14-16 without one. As useful as he aims to become from the perimeter, Horford has to roll and cut to the basket more and mix things up inside. Between his interior play and Schröder’s drives, getting Lopez and Thaddeus Young in foul trouble could be beneficial in establishing the advantage in the fourth quarter.

Thabo Sefolosha will work to properly D up Joe, but Atlanta’s defense must rotate well to compensate when Millsap comes over to help with Joe’s inexorable post-ups. Like the four teams that have vanquished the Hawks so far this season, Brooklyn’s shooting is far from top-tier (46.0 eFG%, 29^th in NBA; 26.5 3FG%, last in NBA), despite taking a league-high 81.8% of their shots in two-point territory. But like the Pistons, Celtics, and Jazz, the Nets are sufficiently self-cognizant to crash the offensive glass (26.4 O-Reb%), especially versus the Hawks.

Korver, Sefolosha, and/or Justin Holiday can provide help on Lopez and Young, so Horford can center ((cough)) his focus on securing defensive rebounds and sparking the Hawks’ transition plays. Horford should find little resistance in out-pacing B-Lo, who had another foot scare last week. But he and Tiago Splitter need to be the players initiating fastbreaks with their rebounds.

With transition-play-leaders Teague and Bazemore both out, Sefolosha, Millsap and Holiday can help Atlanta push the pace on a team that would much rather be stationary (97.4 possessions per-48, 25^th in pace). A pressed and frazzled Brooklyn defense should open up some Net-scorching looks from downtown for Korver, who’s shooting 55.0% on threes since sitting out the last Nets-Hawks meeting.

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

 

View full record

 

[lethalweapon3]

Hawks doin' it up BIG...

~lw3

[macdaddy]

24 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Hawks doin' it up BIG...

~lw3

Prayers answered for many squawkers.  I'm assuming we won't see THJr then if Sap's in the wing rotation now. 

[Gray Mule]

How many three point shots will the Nets hit?

How many free throws will the Hawks miss?

Do the Hawks even know how to block out, rebound?

So many questions.  Hopefully, the Hawks find some answers.

GO ATL HAWKS ! 

[lethalweapon3]

ASIDE: The Nets' revolution will not be televised... at least, not on Comcast after tonight's game!

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Closing-Bell/2015/11/17/Yes.aspx

~lw3

[Guest]

Great game thread! Nuck the Fets! That's all I got today. Feelin run down. Need some vita c with ribo..

[JETSET]

I'm interested to see how the big lineup works against Thad and Brook since they always have good games against us.  Slow those two down and we should be happy come 10:00. 

[DJlaysitup]

Great stuff as usual !!

Time to get back on course tonight 

GO HAWKS !!!

[Dnice]

Might have hit the club Monday night.

[Lurker]

If Schröder starts the second half looking as bad as he did, there better be a quick hook.

[Guest]

Bench played with more energy, better pace and space than the starters in the 1st haklf.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Lurker said:

If Schröder starts the second half looking as bad as he did, there better be a quick hook.

Jack is too physical for Dennis on both ends of the floor.

[Sarcatic1]

Another slow  start. More sloppy basketball. The Nets were shooting under 40% at one point but were still in the game

I don't know whats going on with this team but they don't seem that focused.

Dennis looks awful tonight

At least the bench has played well, something that didn't happen last game

 

They got to get it together in the second half

[Guest]

So many turnovers. Get it together.

[Dnice]

Brick city.

[Lurker]

I think you can slam the panic button now. Teague would have to be in MVP form to save this team. But I'm not sure what it is?

[Dnice]

Hawks can't close again.

[JETSET]

Dennis is straight trash. He has no clue how to run an offense.

[ATLien_]

Wow  we get the offensive rebound and don't get the last shot of the game. Second game in a row where Sap has a bad moment at the end of the game. 

[Dnice]

What a fuc up.