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Peachtree Hoops: Hawks drop second straight in Brooklyn, 114-102

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Atlanta Hawks v Brooklyn Nets
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

The Atlanta Hawks (26-33) faced the Brooklyn Nets (23-36) on the road for the second time in as many games on Saturday afternoon.

Atlanta was certainly hoping for a better showing in this one after getting their bell rung by Brooklyn on Thursday night. With both teams right beside each other in the Eastern Conference Standings, the outcome of this game would have a significant impact on the race for the Play-In Tournament — as a Hawks’ win would give them a four-game cushion over the Nets for the 10-seed*, while a loss would shrink their lead in the standings to a mere two games with 22 games remaining in the regular season.

*and final spot in the Play-In

Bogdan Bogdanovic didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard, knocking down his first two three-point attempts of the game to help the Hawks build an early five-point lead.

De’Andre Hunter kept the perimeter party going for Atlanta, knocking down threes on back to back possessions to extend the Hawks’ lead to 12 at the 4:00 mark of the first quarter.

Bruno Fernando made sure that Atlanta’s presence was felt at the rim as well, hammering in a thunderous dunk a few possessions later.

Still, despite a sloppy start for the Nets, they closed the quarter on a 9-4 run, and Atlanta only led 28-21 heading into the second quarter.

Both sides traded punches to start the second, and this jam from Saddiq Bey gave Atlanta a 39-31 lead at the 8:01 mark of the period (hat-tip to Kobe Bufkin for the assist).

Bey was feeling it in the second quarter, as the buckets above were part of a two-minute stretch where he scored 10 points in a row.

While Atlanta’s offense was rolling, they had a tough time coming up with stops on the defensive end, and a 14-6 Nets’ run (behind some impressive three-point shooting) over the final four minutes of the second quarter cut the Hawks’ lead to 62-60 at the half-time break.

De’Andre Hunter and Saddiq Bey led the Hawks with 14 points apiece on a combined 11-of-18 shooting from the floor (6-for-10 from three). Additionally, Dejounte Murray did an excellent job steering the offense in the first half, racking up nince points and 10 assists without turning the ball over.

Mikal Bridges (20 points) and Cam Johnson (14 points) did most of the damage for Brooklyn, going a combined 7-for-10 from beyond the arc in the first half. The Nets went 8-of-8 as a team from three in the second quarter.

Atlanta got off to a rocky start in the second half, hitting just 1 out of their first 10 shots while continuing to get burned on the defensive end. A layup from Mikal Bridges at the 8:37 mark of the third quarter put the Nets up 68-64, forcing Quin Snyder to call for time.

Still, the Hawks’ sloppiness prevailed even after the timeout, with their first offensive possession resulting in a shot clock violation, and their first defensive possession resulting in two points for the Nets.

Jalen Johnson let out some of his frustration with this throw-down on Atlanta’s next possession.

However, the Hawks’ continued to struggle on both ends of the floor, and another Bridges lay-in a few possessions later extended Brooklyn’s lead to 75-66 at the 6:24 mark of the third.

Atlanta managed to stop the bleeding over the final six minutes of the period, however they failed to put a dent in the Nets’ lead, and trailed 90-80 going into the 4th quarter.

Both offenses struggled to start the final frame, though the Nets continued keep Atlanta out of striking distance, as the Hawks’ trailed 100-90 midway through the fourth.

Unfortunately from there, the wheels fell off for Atlanta. An 8-0 Nets’ run over the next two minutes put Atlanta in an 18-point hole, and the game was largely out of reach during the final four minutes of regulation.

When the final buzzer sounded, Atlanta lost by a final score of 114-102. The team’s perimeter shooting really let them down in the second half, as they went just 1-for-12 from beyond the arc after going 10-for-22 in the first half. Saddiq Bey led the Hawks’ scorers with 23 points. Dejounte Murray finished with 20 points and 11 assists.

Atlanta is back in action on Tuesday evening when they’ll be taking on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

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