NEW YORK — The Hawks lost to the Nets 114-102 in their rematch Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center.
Here are five observations.
1. The Hawks could not get out of their way. They couldn’t score, and they couldn’t get steps, allowing the Nets to outscore them 52-32 before garbage time in the second half of Saturday afternoon’s game at the Barclays Center.
They scored only 16 points in the first 21 minutes of the second half, making 13 of the 42 overall attempts in 24 minutes. They made only one 3-pointer and finished the game with an effective field-goal percentage 48.9%, per Cleaning the Glass.
The Hawks did make decisive moves in the second half as the Nets utilized their size to snuff out their looks at the basket. With the Hawks overthinking, the ball stopped moving and began sticking to one side of the court.
“It’s a team that has size and athleticism throughout their lineup, and I think with (Dennis) Smith and Dennis (Schroeder), their ball pressure makes it hard to enter and we just have to be better, more committed to to actions that move them to get side to side and create some easier openings,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said.
2. Though the Hawks opened the game with a 28-21 first quarter, they never shut the door and allowed the Nets to keep creeping up on them. The Nets knocked down all eight of their 3-pointers in the second quarter despite hard close-outs on all but two of them.
The Nets outscored the Hawks 39-34 in the second frame, heading into the half with all the momentum on a 14-6 run.
“We were able to have that intensity defensively I think, and that focus,” Hawks center Clint Capela said. “In the second half, I just felt that discipline, we lost defensively. So they start hitting 3′s and yeah, whenever this team started hitting 3′s, it gets harder and you start missing shots on offense. It got a little harder for us and it just kept on going – fast break, making 3′s.”
The Hawks held Nets forward Mikal Bridges to 15 points Thursday night. Bridges, who averaged 20.9 points coming into the afternoon, ended up scoring 15 of his 38 points in the second quarter.
On top of that, the Hawks spotted Cam Johnson another 23 points, after he dropped 29 in their previous meeting. Johnson averaged 13.7 points per game before Thursday’s game.
3. Capela, who returned to the lineup Feb. 23, looked like a bit more like he did before a left adductor strain sidelined him for six games. Capela scored 11 points, had 10 rebounds two assists and one steal Saturday.
When the Hawks played the Nets on Thursday, they swarmed Capela and kept him off the glass while stifling his attempts at putbacks. But on Saturday, he used that physicality against them drawing a couple of and-one opportunities.
“Today was the game that I felt more myself,” Capela said. “It’s good. It’s hard when you get (back) from an injury. Coming back, you always take a little time, you have to be mature enough to keep working through it. And I feel like I’m getting there. So it’s good.”
4. Saturday’s game had some big implications for the Hawks, who sit only two games ahead of the Nets for the final spot in the Play-In tournament. The Nets now own the tiebreaker after going 3-1 in the series between the two teams.
5. Dejounte Murray made two 3′s on Saturday afternoon, which earned him a $500,000 bonus. The Hawks guard made 124 3-pointers heading into the team’s rematch against the Nets and needed125 to earn the bonus.
Since it was based on what Murray accomplished last season, it doesn’t change the salary he will earn for this season.
Murray scored 20 points, had six rebounds, 11 assists, one block and two steals.
With Young out, the Hawks will need not only Murray to help them move the ball, but Snyder said they’ll need to keep doing so collectively.
“I’m saying that, and I’m also saying we want to take open 3′s in transition, which is often one pass or drive,” he said. “Dejounte obviously, moving the ball, as you mentioned, his assist numbers, but it’s collectively that’s something we need to keep doing.”
Stat to know
Saturday’s defeat, extended the Hawks’ road losing streak to the Nets to five games. It also gave the Nets their 10th win in their past 11 home games against the Hawks dating to the 2018-19 season.
Quotable
“Well, he was out on the wing, attacking the rim a lot. And he’s gonna have success in those situations.” — Snyder on what makes it hard to contain Bridges
Up next
The Hawks cap their New York trip with a visit to Madison Square Garden to face the Knicks on Tuesday.
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