The Brooklyn Nets faced the Atlanta Hawks on the road after a blowout loss in Washington on Friday. The Nets would bounce back for a 107-92 win.
The Nets and Hawks battled to start the game, exchanging the lead multiple times in the first seven minutes of the game. With 3:19 remaining in the first quarter, the Nets held a 19-18 lead until a run sparked by Isaiah Whitehead and Spencer Dinwiddie helped the Nets begin to pull away from Atlanta.
Two quick lay-ins and a three-pointer from Whitehead, followed by a tough four-point play from Dinwiddie helped the Nets gain an early edge over Atlanta. Add in a Trevor Booker lay-up, and the Nets found themselves with a 32-20 lead at the end of the first quarter.
As the second quarter began, the Nets picked up right where they left off, going on a 11-1 run to extend their lead to 22. Brooklyn held a 43-21 lead early in the second.
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However, Atlanta began to pick up some energy and baskets quickly, and that once-large lead evaporated quickly. A tip-in by Kris Humphries got the lead back to just single digits for Atlanta, and the Nets were beginning to sweat. With 55 seconds remaining in the half, the Nets only held a 10-point lead.
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A stand on the defensive end helped the Nets finish the half strong as Whitehead swatted Dennis Schroder’s shot out-of-bounds just seconds before Jeremy Lin did the same, and the quarter ended. Brooklyn’s lead was cut to seven as the Nets and Hawks went into the halftime break.
After the break, it looked as if Kenny Atkinson was able to inject some energy into his group in the locker room. The Nets went on a 10-0 run after a Dwight Howard hook shot cut the Nets’ lead down to five. Brooklyn was now leading 67-52 and playing tough basketball once again.
After starting the game scoreless, Caris LeVert contributed eight big points to help keep the Nets in front. The Nets ended up weathering the storm and maintained a 10-point lead at the end of third quarter.
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In the fourth, it was all Brooklyn. Ball movement and a Rondae Hollis-Jefferson jam was the exclamation point and dagger in the Nets’ seventh win of the month and Kenny Atkinson’s first victory against his former team.