Brooklyn Nets vs. Atlanta Hawks Takeaways and Grades 4/2/17

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Apr 2, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) rebounds against Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) in the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports /

Takeaways

Do-or-Die for Atlanta

The Atlanta Hawks are in a playoff-seeding battle. Going into the matchup with the Nets, the Hawks held the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. They seemingly did not look like a playoff team for most of the game, going on offensive droughts throughout the game. However, the Hawks saw some serious lapses on both ends, especially with the game on the line. The Hawks fell to 39-38 on the season, falling to 2-9 in their last 11 games. In a tight race, the Hawks could be in danger of dropping out of the playoff race.

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Where was the bench?

The Brooklyn Nets’ bench is one of the highest scoring reserve units in the NBA. In this game, however, they struggled early. The bench did not score their first point until around eight minutes left in the second quarter. Before the third quarter, they had only scored four points total. Sean Kilpatrick and Quincy Acy shot poorly this game, hindering the Nets from really breaking away. The Nets’ bench finished the game with 27 points, with a spirited second half. Brooklyn was led by their starters in this one.

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The D Train

Can I petition to not make every Nets pun not subway-oriented? The “L Train” is my least favorite. The Nets’ defense was on point tonight, just as it had been in the month of March. They held the Hawks to under 70 points through three quarters. Lopez had five blocks. Several Hawks had weak shooting nights, including the returning Paul Millsap. Brooklyn was able to get some key stops late, including a 24-second violation with around two minutes left in the game. The 82 points scored by their opponent in this game was the Nets’ best defensive performance all season.