Boxscore

Gameflow

I think it's fair to expect that if the following things occur the Hawks should win the game.

• Joe Johnson scores 32 points on 16 shots.
• Joe Johnson scores 21 points and does not miss a shot in the fourth quarter.
• The Hawks make 15-27 three-pointers.
• Marvin Williams scores 21 points.
• Flip Murray scores 21 points on 13 shots.
• Acie Law IV (welcome back) scores 9 points and has three assists in ten minutes.
• Mike Bibby makes 4 three-pointers and doesn't turn the ball over once.

How did the Hawks go about wasting their broad offensive success last night?

• By letting the Nets shoot better than 50% from the floor.
• By also letting the Nets rebound more than 35% of their own missed shots.
• By sending the Nets to free throw line almsot twice as often as the Hawks visited the stripe.
• By forcing just 8 turnovers on roughly 90 Net possessions.

It was a terrible defensive performance crowned by a 42-point New Jersey fourth quarter wherein a small Hawks lineup couldn't guard the Nets' perimeter players at all. 16 fourth quarter points for Devin Harris. 12 for Vince Carter. 7 for Keyon Dooling (3-3 FGA). 5 for Ryan Anderson (2-3 FGA).

To be fair, Al Horford, Solomon Jones, and Zaza Pachulia shouldn't be left off the hook. For the first three quarters the greatest question concerning the Hawks' defense was Why is Brook Lopez scoring so much more easily than he did against collegiate competition? I don't have an answer to that. Or why Ryan Anderson scored just as easily as he did when he played for cal.

Also lacking answers, Mike Woodson:

"Give them credit because coach Frank had them ready and we just didn't get it done tonight. They made the plays and hit big shots down the stretch. We had no answer for it.

I thought we were lethargic to start the game. We let Lopez establish himself down low. He got going and we couldn't control him or the kid Anderson. Those were two guys we weren't counting on to come out and play big.''

Dave D'Alessandro co-signs Woodson's surprise at the rookies' good play:

Whoever scripted this has a vivid imagination...It had an unimaginable, accelerated growth spurt from two rookies -- Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson -- who stepped in for injured vets Josh Boone and Eduardo Najera, and not only helped bring the team home, but carried it through crucial stretches.

Joe Johnson keeps it simple:

"We just didn’t keep our man in front of us."

That's the recap, that sentence there. Back at it tonight.