It wasn't always pretty, but the Brooklyn Nets played one of their most complete games of the season on Saturday, taking advantage of a flat Atlanta Hawks team to win 91-83 and slice their series deficit in half.
The Nets played with desperation, and did a great job limiting the Hawks' looks in the halfcourt. It says a lot that Atlanta won the transition points battle 25-2 and still lost.
As strong as the Nets' defense was, though, the Hawks helped them out plenty with their brickiest performance in recent memory. They shot just 35.6 percent from the field and 20 percent from deep, en route to their third-lowest scoring output of the season (and lowest since February). Take DeMarre Carroll out of the equation and those numbers dip to 29.4 and 12 percent, respectively.
In a microcosm of the entire game, Kyle Korver shot 1-of-8 and 0-of-5 from 3-point range. In short, the Hawks missed a lot of shots they usually make.
Meanwhile, look at all these missed chippies by Millsap. Paul and Al make their shots, this is a close game pic.twitter.com/DzvvX2Kow3
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) April 25, 2015
It's the first time this season the Nets have beaten the Hawks, after six straight losses.
Turning Point
The Hawks, led by a red-hot Carroll, climbed out of their early hole, and nine minutes through the third quarter, had opened up their largest lead of the game.
It was only a four-point edge, but the Hawks were on an 11-0 run, looked to have wrested control of the game from the Nets, and seemed poised to pull away.
Instead, Thaddeus Young embarked on a personal 6-0 run to put the Nets back in the driver's seat, and Joe Johnson nailed a three to restore a five-point lead heading into the fourth.
The Hawks couldn't get anything to fall - they went more than seven minutes without scoring a point - and Brook Lopez started going to work at the offensive end. The Nets scored the first nine points of the final frame to complete an 18-0 run and push their lead to 14, a lead they held onto until the final buzzer.
Star Performer
After apologizing to his teammates for his Game 2 performance - in which he scored a season-low two points - and vowing to be better in Game 3, Thaddeus Young put his money where his mouth is.
That personal run of six straight points that helped turn the tide of the game was part of a complete two-way performance from Young, who finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds (four on the offensive glass), three assists and a plus-17 rating.
As he always does when he's at his best, Young found a way to be in the right places at the right times, cleaning up the garbage and converting it into points. He's the kind of player who understands that it's better to win ugly than lose pretty.
Highlight Reel
To cap off their sterling first quarter, the Nets turned a strong defensive set into a picture-perfect offensive possession in semi-transition.
Jarrett Jack made multiple excellent decisions in the space of about five seconds.
In one of the rare Hawks highlights of the day, the always enjoyable Kent Bazemore got way up to convert a two-handed alley-oop off a give-and-go with Dennis Schroder.
Series at a Glance
Game 1: Hawks 99, Nets 92 (Hawks lead 1-0)
Game 2: Hawks 96, Nets 91 (Hawks tied 2-0)
Game 3: Nets 91, Hawks 83 (Hawks lead 2-1)
Game 4: Monday, April 27, TBD
Game 5: Wednesday, April 29, TBD
Game 6*: Friday, May 1, TBD
Game 7*: Sunday, May 3, TBD
*If necessary
