Hawks drop to 2-1 in Summer League with 72-65 loss to Nets

The Atlanta Hawks suffered their first loss of the 2016 Las Vegas Summer League campaign on Monday afternoon. The team dropped a 72-65 decision to the Brooklyn Nets, and there were not many highlights to speak of on this particular day.

Much like Sunday’s contest, things began in beautiful fashion for the Hawks. Atlanta zoomed to a 12-3 after knocking down three attempts from three-point range in the opening minutes, and the team looked to be off and running. Sadly, that was the last of the positive momentum.

For the rest of the half, the Hawks struggled mightily and it was reflected on the scoreboard. Atlanta went into the halftime break in a 45-29 hole after a 42-17 “run” from the Nets, and the Hawks missed their last 12 attempts from beyond the three-point arc in the process.

There were some bright spots, including a 6-rebound, 4-block half from Edy Tavares and the first moments of Taurean Prince’s NBA career (6 points on 3-7 shooting), but aside from that, the first 20 minutes were ugly. Atlanta shot 32% from the floor and, defensively, things weren’t much better in allowing 45 points to Brooklyn.

While the second half was an improvement, it wasn’t quite enough for the Hawks. Atlanta scored the first seven points of the third quarter and, from there, the team was quite competitive. The deficit was slashed to as little as three points in the fourth quarter, but the final run never materialized before settling in with the seven-point final margin.

Edy Tavares left the game for much of the second half, as he was reportedly stitched up after taking a blow to the lip. The big man would return down the stretch, though, and only Bryce Cotton (who suffered a sprained ankle) is an injury concern moving forward this week.

Taurean Prince’s debut was largely uneven, and it must be noted that he did not practice prior to the contest. Still, the No. 12 pick finished with 10 points on 5-11 shooting, and Prince strung together a few highlight plays. Elsewhere, Brandon Ashley had a nice game with 11 points and 7 rebounds and Tavares finished with 8 rebounds and 5 blocks in only 14 minutes.

The Hawks will continue their Las Vegas journey beginning with a tournament game on Wednesday, though the opponent and time are not yet determined. Stay tuned.