The Atlanta Hawks have had three seasons in one. They started with Trae Young, Kristaps Porziņģis, and as a team so unanimously picked as a “dark horse” in the East, the label eventually stopped fitting. Then, they were lost, going through a 5-13 stretch and reckoned with trading the face of the franchise. A few weeks later, they did it, went 26-12, and got right to where we expected them to be, just for entirely different reasons.
The Nets? They’ve had one stagnant, numbing, and gray campaign. It’s
almost at an end, and that’s undoubtedly for the better.
Brooklyn started tonight with Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Terance Mann, Noah Clowney, and Nic Claxton. The latter two almost didn’t suit up, tagged with wrist and ankle soreness injuries earlier in the week, but came off the injury report a few hours before the game. Their presence on the floor, however, didn’t offer much of a lift.
Less than a minute into the game, Jordi Fernández was already hoping for a restart. He called a timeout 58 seconds deep after Claxton and Traoré got confused on who needed to cover CJ McCollum in the corner after amid a simple pick-and-roll sequence. That only briefly stalled what became a trampling 25-8 for Atlanta to start the game. Brooklyn also turned it over five times on their first 14 possessions.
Once more, the Nets looked to their understudies for a spark, and got it in the shape of Malachi Smith. In five minutes spanning the end of the first and start of the second period, the Long Island product went 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from deep to pull Brooklyn to within four with 10:59 to play in the second. He could have had even more, had the first period been another half second longer…
That jolt helped the Nets hang around, down 10, for much of the second. But even as Traoré poked away the occasional steal and Terance Mann hit the occasional a jumper, Brooklyn couldn’t get any closer. The turnovers continued to stack and naturally progressed into fast break points for Atlanta. The Hawks ran for 20 transition points in the first half and had 23 off turnovers. They led 71-55 at the break, posting .558/.526 splits.
Clowney and Claxton started the second half far better on both sides of the ball. Brooklyn wasn’t as over-zealous throwing two at the ball as they’ve been in prior showings, but seemed allergic to stopping entry passes and the shots that followed in the opening two frames. But in the third, they were on time and on task getting vertical, collectively forcing three straight misses inside to begin the period. They also scored Brooklyn’s first eight points in it.
However, right as things were getting started for Clowney, they were over. With 5:37 left in the third, he got wrapped up with Mouhamed Gueye on a loose ball, who kept him pinned on the ground for a handful of seconds after a jump ball had been called. After the “play” if you can even call it that, Clowney got up and continued jawing at Gueye and the officials. The latter gave him a second technical and ejected him.
Swiftly turned away from the prospect of getting production from their main player, the Nets went back to what originally worked. Malachi Smith hit another pair of triples soon after that, making it a 10-point game yet again with just under three remaining in the third.
And again, when the Nets were ready to try and make this one a game, they were turned away. A flurry of threes McCollum, Cory Kispert, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker pumped the lead closer to 20 early in the fourth. All game, Brooklyn waited for Atlanta to cool off, but that moment never came. The Hawks shot 20-40 from three for the game, guiding the Nets to another quiet loss despite a near .50/.40 game.
In place of competitive basketball, we again had tryout from Long Island as our entertainment down the stretch.
Tre Scott, who signed a 10-day earlier this week, came in with 7:42 remaining. It was the first NBA appearance by the 29-year-old since the 2021-22 season. He finished with six points and two rebounds on 2-3 shooting in those minutes.
Despite not sitting in the fourth quarter yet again, Claxton led the Nets with 16 points while shooting 7-10 from the field, grabbing five boards and dishing two dimes. Malachi Smith followed him with 15 points while shooting 5-8 from the field. Traoré grinded his way to a 13/4/2 game. On the bright side, after having three straight games of four or more turnovers, he had just two this evening.
Six to go.
Final: Atlanta Hawks 141, Brooklyn Nets 107
Injury Update
Pregame, Fernández essentially said Michael Porter Jr. and Danny Wolf will not return this season. MPJ hasn’t played since March 10th having suffered a left hamstring strain. Wolf last played on March 22nd, where he rolled his ankle in a loss vs the Kings. The team diagnosed him with a left ankle sprain.
“Based on where we are right now and based on where they’re at with their rehab, and we only have one week left, they’ll be out just from where they are,” Fernández said.
Remarking on their seasons, Fernández praised Wolf’s versatility and shared that he’s looking forward to how he progresses as a sophmore.
“Danny, from shooting the ball to playmaking to rebounding to being that primary ball-handler, playing off the ball, all those things, different lineups, which I’m very happy with him,” Fernández said. “Obviously efficiency is important. We believe he’s a very good shooter. His playmaking efficiency has gotten better from college. And then defensively, I think you guys brought the point that he surprised a lot of people. He didn’t surprise us. We felt like he could do all those things and keep bodies in front, keep guys in front of the ball and guard smaller guys. So he’s been very, very good.”
Fernández also reached back for one final shot at the voters who snubbed Porter Jr. of an all-star bid this year.
“He’s played at an All-Star level. In my opinion, he should have been an All-Star,” Fernández said. “And now I want him to come back here and have a chip on his shoulder, lead the team the way he’s been doing the same way. That was a new thing for him, to lead by example and be the oldest guy. He went from being the youngest guy, or since I was with him, 19 all the way to 27, and now all of a sudden at 27 he’s a vet. So that was an adjustment. He’s done a great job, whether he used his voice or led by example.”
Next Up
The tanking Super Bowl takes place on Sunday afternoon at the Barclays Center. The Nets will host the Washington Wizards at 3 p.m. EST. Your guess as to who plays is as good as mine, but household names will surely sit out, as will the guys pictured above. If the Nets lose, they’ll tie the Wiz Kids in first place for lottery standings with four games remaining. Have fun!
