Atlanta Hawks vs. Brooklyn Nets: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Brooklyn Nets faced an 0-2 series deficit against the Atlanta Hawks, essentially making Saturday's Game 3 at home a must-win, and the Nets dug deep for a decisive 18-0 run in the second half that carried them to a 91-83 win.
With many fans still making their way into the arena, the Nets started strong, closing the first quarter on a 9-0 run to seize a 31-16 lead. They borrowed a page from Atlanta's book with good ball movement, but both teams still shot below 40 percent in the first half.
The Hawks fought back to claim a 62-58 lead late in the third quarter, but that's when the hosts reeled off their impressive 18-0 run, holding the Hawks without a field goal for more than eight minutes.
Now the Nets will look to take care of their business at home and even the series at 2-2 on Monday.
| Brook Lopez | A- |
| Thaddeus Young | B+ |
| Bojan Bogdanovic | B |
| Joe Johnson | B- |
| Deron Williams | D |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
| Paul Millsap | A- |
| DeMarre Carroll | B |
| Al Horford | C |
| Jeff Teague | C- |
| Kyle Korver | D |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
Brooklyn Nets
Brook Lopez, Center
Brook Lopez piled up seven points and seven rebounds through just one quarter. While he couldn't keep up that unsustainable pace, he stilled tallied a tidy double-double with 22 and 13, plus two blocks.
Head coach Lionel Hollins appeared at his wits' end due to Lopez's questionable shot selection during the fourth quarter, but it's all a wash after earning the sorely needed victory. Lopez made seven of his 18 shots.
Grade: A-
Joe Johnson, Small Forward
Freed from the jeering Atlanta fans, ex-Hawk Joe Johnson didn't seem to enjoy the home cooking initially, missing eight of his 10 shots in the first half.
Johnson finished with a forgettable 5-of-17 shooting, but he was also one of three Nets to record a double-double behind his 16 points and 10 boards. He also added five dimes and two steals.
Johnson ended the third quarter by draining a triple, and he opened the fourth quarter by converting an and-1. That helped sustain the run that eventually ballooned to the 18-0 stretch that sunk the Hawks.
Grade: B-
Deron Williams, Point Guard
After Deron Williams scored just two points on 1-of-7 shooting in Game 2, he would surely have something to prove on Saturday. Fans hoped to see a sign that his confidence was high and he'd bounce back to the fine form he displayed earlier in April.
Instead, while the Nets looked potent at times, Williams was on the far periphery of the effort. While he did hand out six assists, he again finished with one lonely field goal, getting three points from 1-of-8 shooting and turning it over three times.
Williams logged 26 minutes in the start, while reserve guard Jarrett Jack saw 27. Jack also handed out eight assists and limited himself to two turnovers.
Grade: D
Thaddeus Young, Power Forward
Thaddeus Young came in with a chip on his shoulder following a poor outing in Game 2 (1-7 FG).
He made up for it by scoring a dozen points in the first half on 5-of-8 shooting. Though the Hawks made adjustments and slowed him in the second half and Young lost a team-high four turnovers, he still contributed a big line in the win with 18 points and 11 boards.
Hollins also experimented with some unique lineups, going super small at one point where the 6'8" Young found himself playing the pivot.
Grade: B+
Bojan Bogdanovic, Shooting Guard
Bojan Bogdanovic had a whale of a first quarter with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including three treys. He cooled down from that pace, making three of his eight shots over the final three quarters to net 19 points.
He logged significant playing time with 34 minutes, and he also recorded three of the team's eight steals.
Grade: B
Rest of Team
Jack dished the rock repeatedly, but he did not get on the scoreboard until midway through the fourth quarter. He notched five points and attempted only three shots, but he once again played well enough to compare favorably with the team's highly paid starting point guard.
Alan Anderson did what he could with eight points off 3-of-4 shooting in backup duty. Mirza Teletovic missed three shots in four minutes.
Grade: C+
Atlanta Hawks
DeMarre Carroll, Small Forward
Carroll got his scoring rolling early with 10 first-half points on 4-of-5 shooting, an encouraging sign after a disappointing Game 2 performance (1-8 FG). He reached halftime as the only player on the team with more than two field goals.
Ultimately, Carroll just didn't get enough support from the rest of the starters. He notched 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He also didn't help himself by committing four of the team's 16 turnovers.
While his stout defense wasn't slumping, the Hawks failed to sustain the energy that got them back in front during the third quarter.
Grade: B
Paul Millsap, Power Forward
Paul Millsap had dealt with a shoulder injury earlier in the month, and his poor shooting in Game 1 (2-11 FG) seemed to be linked to that ailment. Instead, it may have been due to the protective pad he had worn for the injury, because he came out sans pad in Game 2 and led the team in scoring with 19 points in the win.
Through three quarters, Millsap was stuck on 4-of-13 shooting. He converted three out of five in the fourth, but it wasn't enough to spark a comeback. He still played his heart out, making his presence felt in all facets of the game. He scored 18 points, grabbed 17 rebounds (six offensive), purloined five steals and accounted for two of the team's six three-pointers.
At very least, the loss was another encouraging performance from Millsap.
Grade: A-
Al Horford, Center
After suffering a dislocated pinkie finger during Game 1, Al Horford again played with his pinkie and ring fingers taped together on his shooting hand.
Whether it had to do with his finger or was merely a poor afternoon from the field, Horford numbered among the three Hawks starters guilty of shoddy shooting in Game 3.
He missed nine of his 12 shots and finished with just seven points. Despite a poor shooting afternoon for the Nets (39 percent) Horford only collected eight rebounds, while three different Nets had at least 10 boards. Horford also chipped in five assists and two blocks.
Grade: C
Jeff Teague, Point Guard
Starting with the good, Jeff Teague recorded three steals. Aside from that, he'll be eager to forget his stats. Teague missed nine of his 13 shots to get 13 points, and he was responsible for four turnovers to just six assists.
The Hawks were missing their signature strategy of blinding ball movement, and the offense seemed out of ideas at times, consistently failing to produce decent opportunities for stretches.
Grade: C-
Kyle Korver, Shooting Guard
During the regular season, Kyle Korver connected on 49 percent of his shots from the field and from three-point range. It seemed like he saved up all his misses for Saturday's game.
After scoring 38 points combined between Games 1 and 2 and shooting at least 50 percent in both wins, Korver managed just one field goal on eight shots and missed all five of his tries from behind the arc. Sure, he had five assists, but any time Korver has the same number of blocks (two) as points, it's a terrible sign for the offense.
Korver, Teague and Horford combined for 8-of-33 shooting, which is a far cry from the efficiency they showed in Atlanta.
Grade: D
Rest of Team
Dennis Schroder missed his shots in a variety of ways, watching jumpers clang and layups fall off the rim. He actually earned the distinction for the worst shooting line of the day with his 1-of-9 effort.
Pero Antic tallied seven points, while Kent Bazemore and Mike Scott added six each.
While the Hawks bench outscored Brooklyn's, 22-13, they also missed 11 of the 12 three-pointers they tried, and the team finished with a disappointed 6-of-30 shooting in the category.
Grade: C+
Coming Up Next
Game 4 comes on Monday in Brooklyn at a time yet to be determined.
