Hawks drop third straight in hard-fought 120-116 loss to Nets

The Atlanta Hawks were on the road in New York again on Friday evening, this time taking on the Brooklyn Nets. The Hawks were unable to pick up the win in this one, dropping the game 120-116 to the Nets, and giving them a three-game losing streak. Atlanta was in the game until the end, but could not slow down the star power on the other side ultimately.

Brooklyn got out to a hot start behind Kevin Durant in the first quarter, with the superstar forward scoring 18 points in the opening period. Trae Young did his best to match, with 14 of Atlanta’s 30 first quarter points.

The scoring continue in the second quarter, with both teams scoring over 30 points for the second straight quarter. Young and Durant both entered the half with 22 points each, leading their respective teams. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the first half. Brooklyn took a 68-64 lead into the half.

Kyrie Irving caught fire out of the half for the Nets, hitting three straight three-pointers as their shooting continued to be lights out. Turnovers continue to plague them however, leaving the door open for a Hawks comeback. Atlanta trailed just 96-90 heading to the fourth quarter as Bogdanovic caught fire himself down the stretch in the third quarter.

The Hawks hung around close thanks to those turnovers and some less than enthusiastic Nets defense, trailing by just two points in the final minutes after this wild pass from Young to Clint Capela for a dunk.

The Hawks were unable to chase down the Nets down the stretch however, as Brooklyn was able to score just enough points to stay out of reach and slip out with the win. Irving finished with 33 points and 11 rebounds in the win, while Durant finished with 34 points and five assists. Brooklyn turned the ball over 21 times but shot 55% from the floor and 13-of-29 (44.8%) from three.

Young finished with 33 points and nine assists in the loss, while Bogdanovic had 31 points (7-of-9 from three in 33 minutes) in what was easily the best game of his young season. Capela finished with another solid game of 15 points and ten rebounds in the defeat.

The Hawks will be back in action, looking to stop their losing streak at State Farm Arena on Sunday evening when they host the Chicago Bulls.

Stay tuned.