Brooklyn Nets vs. Atlanta Hawks: Postgame Grades and Analysis
DeMarre Carroll scored 24 points, Al Horford had 20 points and 15 rebounds and the Atlanta Hawks held off the Brooklyn Nets, 107-97, at Philips Area Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
The Hawks jumped on the Nets early, taking a 33-16 lead in the second quarter. Brooklyn quickly battled back as it has done all series, going on an 11-0 run to slice Atlanta's lead to six.
That would be as close as the Nets would get for the rest of the first half, and the Hawks took a 53-44 lead into halftime.
Atlanta would build the lead back up to 14 in the second half, but Brooklyn made a more furious charge in the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit to one late.
However, timely buckets by Jeff Teague (who scored 20 points) and key defensive stops lifted the Hawks to a crucial Game 5 victory.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer admired his team's competitive spirit, per the Hawks' official Twitter feed:
He was also impressed with the Nets' resolve, per Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com:
Meanwhile, Brooklyn head coach Lionel Hollins felt Atlanta played with more to lose, per Rod Boone of Newsday:
He also said that he was proud of his group, per the Nets' official Twitter feed:
Alan Anderson led the Nets with 23 points off the bench.
Atlanta shot 48 percent from the floor and went 13-of-33 from three-point range. Brooklyn shot 47 percent and hit on 10 of its 22 long-range attempts.
Game 6 is Friday night at the Barclays Center at 8 p.m. ET. Catch the action on ESPN.
| Deron Williams | D |
| Brook Lopez | D+ |
| Joe Johnson | B |
| Thaddeus Young | C- |
| Jarrett Jack | A- |
| Rest of Team | A- |
| Al Horford | A |
| Paul Millsap | C- |
| Jeff Teague | A- |
| Kyle Korver | B+ |
| DeMarre Carroll | A |
| Rest of Team | C |
Brooklyn Nets
After a 35-point outburst in Game 4, Deron Williams put forth a less-than-stellar performance in Game 5.
The floor general made just two of his eight shots for five points, failing to get any separation and looking less aggressive than he did in his previous outing.
As a matter of fact, Williams was benched in favor of the red-hot Jarrett Jack down the stretch.
Williams added six rebounds and six assists, but this was just not a good night for the former All-Star.
Brook Lopez: D+
Brook Lopez had a rough shooting night.
The big man went just 4-of-13, missing numerous looks in the paint. He also had a lot of trouble getting position in the paint, getting pushed off the block by the Hawks big men.
Lopez was able to go 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, but the misses inside definitely hurt.
He was also a step slow on some rotations defensively and made minimal impact on the glass, grabbing three rebounds.
Lopez tallied 15 points.
Joe Johnson: B
Joe Johnson quietly had a decent outing.
He scored 18 points off 7-of-15 shooting, going 3-of-8 from distance and making a couple of big shots late to help Brooklyn get back into the game.
Still, the most memorable part of Johnson's evening was probably when he air-balled a wide-open three-pointer late in the fourth quarter.
That's not necessarily fair, though, as he certainly wasn't bad.
Johnson added nine boards and four dimes in 44 minutes.
Thaddeus Young: C-
Thaddeus Young had a strange evening.
The wiry forward had 11 points off 5-of-10 shooting and fought for rebounds and loose balls, but he posted a horrendous minus-25 plus-minus rating in 25 minutes.
In a game where his team never trailed by more than 17, that's, well, not good.
Clearly, his defensive effort was not up to par.
Jarrett Jack: A-
Jack was quiet for most of the game. Then, the fourth quarter rolled around.
Jack was absolutely monstrous over the final 12 minutes, scoring 12 straight Nets points at one juncture.
He banged a pair of huge triples, worked his way through the defense for jumpers and runners and had hearts of Hawks fans everywhere thumping vigorously.
Jack tallied 18 points off a 7-of-13 clip and contributed six assists and four rebounds. He was also the only Net to register a positive plus-minus with a plus-four.
Rest of Team: A-
Alan Anderson was probably the best Brooklyn player in Game 5.
Anderson scored 16 of his 23 points in the first half, making his first six shots and converting a four-point play.
The swingman shot 9-of-11 from the field overall and made all four of his three-point tries. He was also a force on the glass, grabbing seven rebounds.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored seven points and played some decent defense on Kyle Korver early but faded down the stretch.
Atlanta Hawks
Al Horford: A+
Al Horford was thoroughly dominant in the win.
The big man posted 20 points and 15 rebounds, five of those boards coming on the offensive end. He also dished out five assists and was a force on the defensive end, chipping in two blocks and two steals.
Whenever Atlanta needed a big play, Horford was there. His tenacity on the offensive glass resulted in extra possessions and second-chance points, including a couple of second-chance buckets of his own.
He also did a phenomenal job guarding the rim defensively.
Horford shot 10-of-17.
Paul Millsap: C-
Paul Millsap had a tough night offensively.
The forward went just 4-of-11, misfiring on three of his four three-point attempts and going just 1-of-4 from the free-throw line.
He struggled with the length of the Nets front line and wasn't able to get anything going toward the basket.
Millsap finished with 10 points and six boards in 41 minutes.
Jeff Teague: A-
Jeff Teague was huge down the stretch.
The point guard scored nine big points over the final couple of minutes, doing all he could to try and outduel Jack in the fourth quarter.
Teague was assertive all night, getting good dribble penetration which led to open looks for his teammates.
He ended up with 20 points off 7-of-14 shooting, going 3-of-6 from long range. He also handed out eight assists in 37 minutes.
Kyle Korver: B+
Kyle Korver re-discovered his stroke Wednesday night.
Korver went 5-of-12 from three-point range, burying a couple of the kinds of tough looks he did so often during the regular season.
He did a great job of shaking himself free around screens and spotting up at the right spots in transition.
The sharpshooter scored 17 points off 6-of-14 shooting overall. He also grabbed five rebounds.
DeMarre Carroll: A
DeMarre Carroll was extraordinary in the first half.
The versatile wing scored 16 of his 24 points over the first 24 minutes, scoring in a variety of ways. He attacked the rim, made shots in transition and knocked down three-pointers.
Carroll made eight of his 15 field-goal attempts overall and also hauled in seven boards.
He helped keep Brooklyn at bay early, and while he wasn't as explosive in the final two quarters, he was steady enough on both ends to help get the Hawks the win.
Rest of Team: C
Pero Antic gave Atlanta some solid bench minutes, scoring eight points and knocking down a pair of triples in 18 minutes. He pulled down four boards and played some solid post defense on Lopez as well.
Dennis Schroder was a bit out of control, dribbling into traffic and making sloppy passes. He scored six points in 11 minutes but also committed three turnovers due to his recklessness.
That was about it for the Hawks reserves.
