Kevin Durant Drops Career High as Nets Clinch NBA Play-In Berth After Loss to Hawks

The Brooklyn Nets are locked in to a spot in the NBA play-in tournament following a 122-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday at State Farm Arena.

Durant dropped a career-high 55 points, and Kyrie Irving added 31, but it wasn't enough to beat a Hawks team that saw Trae Young notch 36 points to carry Atlanta to victory.

With the loss, the Nets moved to 40-38 on the season. They currently sit 10th in the Eastern Conference and have four games left to potentially rise as high as eighth place.

The Nets entered the 2021-22 campaign with high expectations after the Milwaukee Bucks eliminated them in the second round of last season's playoffs. However, the team has struggled to perform and find consistency for a number of reasons.

Most notably, Irving had only been eligible to compete in Brooklyn's away games for most of the regular season because he is unvaccinated. New York City had a vaccine mandate in place until recently that prevented Irving from suiting up at Barclays Center.

Injuries have also caused the team some issues. Durant was sidelined for more than a month from January 17 through March 1 with an MCL sprain in his left knee. In that span, the Nets went 5-16 and plummeted in the standings.

More recently, the Nets traded James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks. Simmons, the 2016 first overall pick, has yet to play for Brooklyn because of a herniated disc in his back.

The Nets could desperately use Simmons, but it's unclear when he might return to the court. 

If the Nets escape the play-in tournament, they'll be one of the most difficult teams to face in the playoffs, provided they stay healthy and get Simmons into the lineup. So while some might criticize Steve Nash's squad for underperforming during the regular season, they have the potential to make a significant impact in the postseason.