The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Atlanta Hawks 116-100. The Nets came back to win this game after being down as many as 19 points. The Nets came out of the gates slow and tired. The Nets couldn’t get anything going on offense in the first quarter, and fouled way too much. The Nets were outscored 38-23 in the first. The Nets shifted the momentum in the second quarter and cut the Hawks lead to just 6 at the half. The Nets came out on fire in the second half and outscored the Nets 35-23. The Nets had an extended 30-11 run from the end of the third quarter through the majority of the fourth quarter. This was a crucial win because the Nets have a brutal game in Toronto on Friday. Last year’s Nets team would’ve lost this game by double digits, but this now 6th seeded Nets team fought all the way back and got a dominant win. Lastly, hope Jared Dudley is not seriously hurt. Dudley may not fill up the stat sheet, but he is essential for this team.

D’Angelo Russell led the Nets tonight with 23 points on 11-20 shooting. Russell has scored 20 + points in 5 out of his last 6 games, and is making a serious run at the all star team this year. Ed Davis had a monster game off the bench with 16 rebounds and 8 points. Davis already has more rebounds off the bench than any Nets player since the 2000-01 season. Joe Harris caught fire in the third quarter when he hit 4 straight threes, and finished with 16 points and 9 rebounds. DeMarre Carroll had another good game off the bench with 17 points on 5-10 shooting. Lastly, Spencer Dinwiddie had 16 points and 5 assists. Carroll and Dinwiddie have led the Nets bench the whole season, and were clutch for the Nets comeback win today.

For the Hawks, John Collins was unstoppable. Collins finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds. The Nets did not have an answer for Collins all night, and the second year player thrived. Rookie Trae Young (17 points and 7 assists) and Kevin Huerter (14 points and 10 rebounds) had nice games for Atlanta. The trio of Collins, Trae, and Huerter will be the leaders for Atlanta going forward, and another top 5 pick could just make Atlanta a sleeper team heading into next season. Jeremy Lin had 16 points and 5 rebounds in his second game back at the Barclays Center. Lin did play well during his time on the Nets, but injuries unfortunately prevented him from seeing the court (under 40 games played in 2 seasons). Lastly, shoutout to Vince Carter in possibly his last game in Brooklyn. Carter will go down as one of the all time great Nets (3rd highest scorer in Nets history) and he may just see his jersey in the rafters when he retires.

What’s Next?

The Nets travel to Toronto to take on the Raptors on Friday, while the Hawks travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers on Friday.

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