Despite 47 points from Trae Young, the Hawks (6-24) were outscored by 23 points in the fourth quarter in their 122-112 loss to the Nets (16-13) Saturday at Barclays Center.
1. After taking a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter, the Hawks collapsed and could barely make a shot the rest of the game. The Nets started the quarter on a 14-0 run, holding the Hawks scoreless until a floater by Trae Young at the 6:36 mark, but that bucket did nothing to jump-start the rest of the offense — Young scored 12 of the Hawks' 14 points in the fourth, with Alex Len contributing the other two points. In total, the Hawks shot 23.1% from the field in the fourth quarter (6 for 26) and 0 for 14 from 3-point range, adding six turnovers in the fourth as the Nets finished off their comeback.
“I think you saw some glimpses of a young team lose their will, lose their confidence in a game where we had the will, we had the pace of the game, we had the control of the game, we had the scheme of the game the way we wanted, our guys were playing with a ton of confidence tonight and when they made their run, we got rattled,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said. “The shots weren’t the same, guys were a little tight, you saw some rookie mistakes down the stretch.”
2. Because of how the game ended, one of the best halves of basketball (or at least the best quarter) the Hawks have played this season was overshadowed. An excellent second quarter saw the Hawks outscore the Nets 39-26 and put them at 73 points in the first half — the most they've scored in any half this season. In the second, the Hawks played with energy, controlled the tempo and shot 48% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line (6 for 15) on their way to a 73-60 lead at the midway mark. They staved off the Nets in the third quarter before caving in the mistake-filled fourth. "This has happened a couple times to us," said Kevin Huerter, who added nine points and six assists. "Get up, get leads and figure out a way to lose at the end of the game. It's frustrating and it's a game we know we should have won."
3. Young carried the Hawks' offense Saturday, finishing with 47 points (14-30 FG, 3 for 12 from 3-point range, 16-19 from the line), eight rebounds and six assists. This marked Young's fourth 40-point game of this season and the fifth of his career. In his last four games, Young is averaging 37.25 points, but the Hawks have now lost seven in a row: "I'm not feeling too good if we're not winning," Young said. "Obviously when I get into a rhythm I feel good, figuring out how to draw fouls more, things like that. It's been good getting into a rhythm and feeling good offensively, but it hasn't been enough, obviously."
4. Coming off the bench, Len finished with a double-double, adding season-highs in points (23) and rebounds (14). After struggling to shoot from 3 earlier in the year, Len made 3 of 4 3-point attempts — another season-high. Len was active on defense, adding two blocked shots. "I thought he ran the floor well," Pierce said. "Their bigs like to crash the offensive glass, and when they do that, it's an opportunity for our bigs to get out and run when we secure the rebound, if they're going to be slow getting back. We got layups, but we also got 3's and clean looks because of our bigs being able to get out and run while their big is down."
5. Saturday marked the end of John Collins' 25-game suspension for violating terms of the NBA/NBPA anti-drug program. Collins tested positive for Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-2 (GHRP-2). Collins' return Monday in Cleveland won't fix all the Hawks' problems, but his absence left them shorthanded and they've desperately missed his production on both ends of the court.
By the Numbers
2 for 24 (what the Hawks shot from 3-point range in the second half, or 8.3%)
Quotable
“We just let one get away from us. They went on a run and we couldn’t stop it.”
— Trae Young on the Hawks’ performance in the fourth quarter
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